<b>Sabiston Review of Surgery</b>, edited by David C Sabiston, Jr, 291 pp, paper $29.95, ISBN 0-7216-3534-2, Philadelphia, Pa, WB Saunders Co, 1992. <b>Textbook of Surgery: Pocket Companion</b>, edited by David C. Sabiston, Jr, and H. Kim Lyerly, 1044 pp, paper $18.95, ISBN 0-7216-3535-0, Philadelphia, Pa, WB Saunders Co, 1992. There must be a compelling reason for a 14th edition of a textbook to be published only five years after its predecessor. Neither the publisher, editor, nor chapter authors will invest the enormous resources necessary unless each considers the effort worthwhile. In the case of Sabiston's text, it seems clear that the time and effort are well spent. As the subtitle suggests, emphasis is placed on the biologic basis of surgery. The basic science database on which clinical surgery depends has grown so fast during the past decade that an update on this basis alone is justified. New diagnostic and therapeutic