"Knee replacement is bound to fail-providing the patient lives long enough." There is some truth in this hoary cliche, so why write books on the subject? I think the answer is that knee replacement has at last become established and even respectable. The more absurd surgical extravaganzas have been recognised and discarded; today a patient can expect to rely on his new knee to serve him with comfort for a fair number of years. Of course even the early knee replacements often made the patient comfortable; the trouble was they just did not last. All too often the innovator's enthusiasm was overtaken by the patient's disillusionment. Indeed, the operation might well have been abandoned had it not been for the hope that one day the dazzling results at the hip might be matched at the knee. These pioneer prostheses were designed as though the knee were biomechanically as straightforward as the hip. Alas, numerous complexities soon became apparent; in response the models multiplied-and multiplied-until the ordinary orthopaedic practitioner became hopelessly bewildered. He found himself subjected to high pressure propaganda; from the surgeon offering a miracle cure, from the engineer seeking fame and from the manufacturer expecting fortune. Visiting his unit as a team, this trio was well-nigh irresistible.

References, to the reader, are like insulin to the diabetic: when needed they are indispensable, but in excess they induce coma. Moreover, when references are simply shovelled into a text in great gobbets, it is hard to resist the suspicion that the author has not read them all, but has copied some from a previous author's list. The story is told of one author who mischievously included in his list a bogus reference to an obscure foreign journal, and gleefully noted its frequent appearance in future articles. One of the joys of this present book is that the number of references to each topic is very small. But these few have been selected with dis cretion and studied with care. Each group of references is followed by a critical assessment, written with balanced judgment and commendable brevity, and how refreshing it is to find authors who read much but write little. In fact, these authors have followed the pattern of the sister work, Selected References in Orthopaedic Trauma, published in 1989."

In medical writing brevity is the kiss of life. Nevertheless most articles are unnecessarily lengthy and publications continue to multiply. Pity the poor reader! A succession of unduly long articles is bad enough, but if each is followed by a plethora of references the effect is positively daunting. Even the reader who is impressed by the length of a list may question the author's discrimination. Were all those references needed? Were they helpful? Has the authorreally read every one? All too often we look in vain for evidence of selectivity. Here lies the strength of this book. The authors have combed the literature and culled it ruthlessly, selecting just a few hand-picked references on every important aspect of orthopaedic trauma. They have ranged widely but chosen narrowly, and with a sense of balance. And having selected, they have also distilled, adding a brief and thoughtful commentary on each group of entries. The four authors, of varying vintages, met at frequent intervals to discuss each section in tum and to debate the value of every inclusion. I can almost hear the cut and thrust as well-informed views were exchanged, and also the sighs of relief as differences were resolved. The authors compare their meetings with those of the Editorial Board of the IBIS; since these are a delightful mixture of conflict, entertainment and enlightenment, what a marvellous time they must have had.