It was very inspiring to start reading this immunology textbook, as it is dedicated to the memory of the late Ralph Steinman, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2011 “for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity”. He co-shared the Nobel Prize in 2011 with Jules Hoffmann and Bruce Beutler who were awarded “for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity”. This fair dedication to an outstanding scientist should remind us of the importance immunology has had in biomedical research in the past decades and the therapeutical resources that are reaching clinical practice as a consequence of basic and clinical research in this field. This new book, ‘Exploring Immunology — Concepts and Evidence’, must be welcomed as a new resource for the study of a subject that is essential in all biological sciences. It is a concise book with 7 chapters; however, it nonetheless includes all the up-to-date relevant information that one would expect to find in a general immunology book. The sequence of chapters chosen by the authors was creative and original — the novice reader can have a good general overview of immunology by reading the first chapter, ‘The Immune System’. Those who wish to read about the clash between microbes and the immune system, and about immune-mediated diseases and treatments have two separate chapters, ‘Infection and Immunity’, and ‘Immunity, Disease and Therapy’, respectively. More detailed information about how the immune system works is described in the remaining four chapters which cover, in turn, the ‘Functional Anatomy of the Immune System’, ‘Innate Immunity’, ‘T Cell-Mediated Immunity’ and ‘Antibody-Mediated Immunity’. This book is very pleasant and easy to read, reflecting the authors’ long experience in immunology teaching and research. It has been written using clear language and in a straightforward manner, while also raising and discussing unresolved and controversial issues. With beautiful colored illustrations (you'll hardly find two sequential pages without a single figure!), it is well suited for undergraduate students in the biological and health sciences in the early years of their college or university studies. Undergraduate students taking a microbiology course will also find helpful information, particularly in the chapter about ‘Infection and Immunity’. Graduate students studying areas involving immunology would also benefit from reading this book before delving into the more specialized literature. Furthermore, any health professional who wishes to refresh and update his or her knowledge on immunology will also find this book useful. Questions are included throughout the book to stimulate reflection and critical thinking. Some of these questions are more direct, while others are intriguing and thought-provoking. Some of them may not have definitive answers, as acknowledged by the authors, and this reminds us that our understanding of immunological processes, despite having increased tremendously over past decades and still increasing rapidly is nonetheless incomplete. Although the primary aim of these questions is educational, they could also be used to help formulate research questions. Case studies are particularly stimulating and helpful as resources to teach immunology, and many of them can be found in this book, portraying different immune-mediated and infectious diseases. They are described in accessible language with few technical medical terms, reinforcing the principles explained and providing an indication of the participation of the immune system in many different illnesses. Another point to be praised in this book is the regular use of scientific evidence supporting the knowledge about immunology — this compliment really goes to the authors. There are citations of animal research and human studies that describe early discoveries and recent findings regarding basic immunologic principles and also infectious diseases, allergies, vaccines, primary immunodeficiencies, autoimmunity and transplantation. Although the authors opted not to cite the detailed bibliographic references from these scientific studies, maybe their citation would really have given an evidence-based ‘taste’ to this textbook. I was very pleased to read ‘Exploring Immunology’ and would be more so if it became widely available to students and in libraries’ collections throughout the world. I cannot do less than to honestly recommend it.