Schumpelick (University Hospital Aachen, Germany) explains in his preface that ideally, surgeons in training have long sustained contact with mentors to master basic skills; but given that many training programs are less than ideal, this text can serve to fill gaps in basic knowledge. Some 1200 line drawings illustrate 16 general and 150 special operations of everyday surgical practice. Each procedure is so clearly and systematically described that not only will the text serve students and practicing professionals, but in the unlikely event that a person is isolated somewhere and needs to perform surgery, this would be the text-of-choice. This revised translation of the second German edition makes a valuable resource accessible to the English-speaking audience. The volume measures 9x12.5". Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)