Clinical Neurophysiology of Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence G. L. Holmes, S. L. Moshé, and H. R. Jones, Philadelphia, Elsevier, 857 pp., ill., 2006, $179.00 John B. Bodensteiner MD. There has never been a standard textbook of clinical neurophysiology in the pediatric population. This book is destined to become just that. The editors have provided a well-organized, up-to-date, and useful book. It begins with basic principles, including the importance of maturation, which is often not given sufficient coverage in texts that are not specifically directed at physicians dealing with infants and children. The first section includes chapters covering EEG, the motor unit, and evoked potentials. The next group of chapters is devoted to cerebral dysfunctions including epilepsy, brain death, sleep disorders, and prolonged EEG monitoring techniques. The third section covers neuromuscular disorders. The final section covers magnetoencephalography, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and the evaluation of sphincter dysfunction. The book is well produced on nice paper and with easy-to-read print, diagrams, and illustrations. Most chapters are extensively referenced with the classics as well as the current literature cited. Many chapters include boxes containing important information, minimal standards, or diagnostic criteria and make the location of such information somewhat easier when using the text as a reference source. The contributors are mostly recognized experts in the field and generally write clearly and concisely with an approach that allows the reader to recognize that the author is actively involved in the issues being discussed. One of the useful aspects of the book is the attempt to place the role of the neurophysiologist in perspective with respect to the evaluation of patients. This is frequently an increasing role in the evaluation of patients with epilepsy, with extended monitoring and evaluation for epilepsy surgery occurring more often than in the past. The appropriate role, however, of the electrophysiologist, and the role of the EMG in the evaluation of neuromuscular disease is more problematic. In the current practice setting, there is frequently indecision on the part of the primary physician, and often on the part of the neurologist or pediatric neurologist as well, as to just when and where the EMG should be done in the work-up of a child with a suspected neuromuscular disease. The attempt to place the neurophysiologist's role in proper prospective in this setting is a welcome component of the book. When reviewing a book, it is almost obligatory to criticize some aspect of the volume and so, even though they are only minor criticisms, I would make the following observations. There is a tendency to use abbreviations excessively, particularly in certain chapters discussing clinical entities. To this reader, the frequent use of abbreviations is distracting and unnecessary. The second minor complaint is that some of the clinical photographs are of inadequate quality to show clearly the features they are intended to demonstrate. Nevertheless, this volume is generally current, useful, and authoritative. I believe it will become the standard text in clinical neurophysiology for neurologists and pediatric neurologists alike.