Michael Marsh's latest book on coeliac disease started out at a distinct disadvantage as I took it with a pile of novels to read while on a summer holiday in Provence. However, he need not have worried; this is a distinctive book and, to someone interested in coeliac disease, it came as a refreshing approach to the subject.

Marsh was charged with editing a volume in a new series on “Methods in Molecular Medicine”. He was a good choice as he has spent virtually the whole of his professional life working on coeliac disease and, in particular, on the morphology of the intestinal mucosa. He has dedicated the volume to the late Anne Ferguson, who did so much to …