This magnificent treatise on the human placenta is a definitive work on the normal structure of that vital and often-neglected organ. The usual book, like a bottle of wine, is soon finished, leaving only more or less pleasant memories. This book, however, large in size and broad in scope, is more like a whole wine cellar—to be read and enjoyed over a long period of time. Indeed, its wealth of material requires careful, thoughtful, and unhurried reading. The contents are arranged in a logical developmental manner, beginning with "Historical Survey" and ending, 21 chapters later, with "The Placenta in Multiple Pregnancies." No facet of structure or function is neglected. The authors draw upon their exhaustive personal knowledge, their own significant material and a scholarly, orderly, and relevant review of the literature. More than 1,500 references are cited and analyzed. The authors are extraordinarily skillful in weaving the findings of a