Chopping big books into little books seems to be a current literary trend, and further evidence for this is to be found in the new Notes on Paediatrics series. Rows and rows of tiny paperbacks are replacing the huge “Complete Works of . . .” tomes in bookshops all over the country. I have even heard rumours that the Oxford English Dictionary will soon be available in 26 sections. It is hardly surprising that textbooks should go the same way as it solves the perennial problem of being at least 10 years out of date before they even go to press. Publishing one chapter at a time as soon as each is updated seems the ideal solution.

Chopping …