It was an interesting coincidence that on the same week that I received this book, I received an email to say that the book review feature was coming to an end. Perhaps this should not be simply a review but a defence of medical textbooks against the ever growing online competition.

I am undoubtedly a book person; I enjoy reading as widely out of medicine as in it, and I certainly do not enjoy reading on screen without the familiar feel of paper between my fingers. With this in mind, I opened the book hoping to be able to mount …