This latest entry into the inflammatory bowel disease textbook sweepstakes is intended neither as a comprehensive reference work nor as a guide to everyday management. This demurral is just as well. After all, the former category of texts is already well represented by such heavyweights as Kirsner (WB Saunders), Allan et al (Churchill Livingstone), or Targan and Shanahan (Williams and Wilkins); the latter arena is quite thoroughly covered in works by Gitnick (Igaku-Shoin) and even more notably by Bayless and Hanuaer (BC Decker).

The current volume, rather, adopts a self described “new approach.” It focuses on specific questions ranging from basic science to clinical management, and it seeks to adduce best evidence in addressing controversies in these fields. In taking this particular tack, the editors and publishers have succeeded admirably in at least three respects.

Firstly, they have assembled an all-star cast of contributors. The editors, Derek Jewell, Bryan Warren, and Neil Mortensen—themselves …