Authors: Richard J. Johnson and John Feehally Publisher: Harcourt Publishers Limited, 2000 Nephrology is a complex and ever-changing field. Textbooks abound and need to be constantly updated to keep up with the relentless pace of new information. Comprehensive Clinical Nephrology represents a new addition to the specialty. Existing textbooks of nephrology can be broadly divided into two categories: the first composed of large, voluminous reference texts that may not make for easy reading and the second, which provides only a skeleton of information and lack comprehensiveness. This textbook, which is aimed primarily at the nephrology trainee and the practicing nephrologist, is a single volume, multiple author effort. It provides an excellent, concise, and quick reference to the subject. The textbook is divided into 17 sections, which are further organized into richly illustrated chapters. What distinguishes this textbook from its predecessors is the liberal use of color to enhance the clarity of diagrams and photographs and increase its visual impact. The type used is pleasing to the eye. Mention should be made of the extensive use of tables throughout, leaving the text freer to describe general concepts and specific interactions of greater importance. Instead of the traditional numbering of pages, the text uses a more unorthodox indexing of pages that is somewhat confusing to the reader. The list of references is concise rather than exhaustive and slanted towards the authors. For more extensive and in-depth references, the reader would be well advised to consult a bigger, more traditional text. The sections on fluid and electrolyte disorders are handled with brevity, and the physiology may, at times, be cryptic. Readers may want to use a separate text on fluid and electrolytes to supplement their reading. The coverage of primary and secondary glomerular diseases is excellent and sufficient to stand alone. The section on acid-base status in pregnancy is very short, covered in only one paragraph, and needs further elaboration. Like many other textbooks of nephrology (because of the constraints of space), the section on dialysis lacks comprehensiveness and would also need to be supplemented by a manual of dialysis for completeness. With contributors from many countries, the book brings a global perspective to the field. Special mention must be made of the chapters on tuberculosis and schistosomiasis of the urinary tract, both of which are well written. Like many multiauthored texts, the book suffers at times from some variation in style and presentation, but overall the book is well edited. The price of the book represents a significant financial burden to those who could benefit most from it, namely trainees in the field. However, read together with a multiple-volume text as a reference, the book is an excellent addition to any renal fellow or nephrologist’s personal library. Finally, a word of caution to the potential buyer—the reviewer’s copy of the book made available to me was missing 30 pages while 30 other pages were duplicated. Even though this error was not repeated in a second copy located at our library, the buyer would be well advised to check the book for missing pages prior to the purchase.