As a core discipline of public health, epidemiology provides a perspective and methodological approach relevant to all settings requiring rigorous evidence for health and wellbeing. Excellent introductory texts such as this are therefore invaluable to a range of audiences, including students and teachers, practitioners and researchers. The text leads the reader through the history, perspective, concepts and methods of epidemiology and some key public health applications, in a steady, clear fashion. It is nicely paced with worked examples, illustrative questions and tables and frequent practical asides. The style is easy, accessible and not at all dry, which will be particularly valuable for those whose first language is not English. Underlying this approachability, however, is a strong methodological rigour, reflecting the wide international research experience of the authors that informs their writing and teaching.

The second edition of this highly successful book is fully updated and includes expanded sections dealing with new terminology, current themes such as genetic epidemiology, life expectancy and global burden, and the importance of systematic reviews as a key public health tool for assessing causality and setting policy. It will be an excellent reader or background text for undergraduate and graduate students in epidemiology and public health.