Gastrointestinal (GI) textbooks come in varied shapes and sizes: the “handbook”, often pocket-sized, providing concise practical clinical information, is aimed principally at the early trainee, whereas the “specialist” treatise, an in-depth review of a specific organ or disease, is aimed at research or clinical subspecialists. Finally, there is the general textbook, exemplified by the text reviewed here. This is usually aimed at senior/committed GI trainees and established gastroenterologists with a general GI and hepatology practice. This review aims to establish what the current book offers such a readership and why they might choose it in preference to other established texts.

A major disadvantage of printed text is that within 2–3 years of publication, revision is required to incorporate new advances, with …