Abstract

When I became editor of this Journal, one of the decisions I made was that except in a very few individualized instances we would only list books sent to us for review. There were several reasons for this decision. In the first place, space in this Journal is at a premium, and as other journals, particularly specialty journals, fill this need for most of our readers, it seemed an unprofitable venture. In the second place, a lot of books we get are aimed at the laity, and while it is well for doctors to know what their patients are reading, to review such books is a luxury we cannot afford. The larger, more desirable books have become so expensive and the publishers so parsimonious that we do not see those anymore, and finding reviewers for such as we do receive is difficult. So I have become unapologetically selective as to books specifically mentioned, and that mention is usually editorial.