This is the work of a single author, now based in Athens, but whose wide training and earlier senior experience (including a consultant post in London) have allowed him to address this book to a multidisciplinary readership, including our specialty of course. Its relevance is greatest to those involved in the emergency management of acute trauma, but there is much here for us, as well as for maxillofacial, ophthalmic, and plastic and reconstructive surgeons.

The book opens with an emphasis on facial appearance, and its importance in both self esteem and the perception of an individual's personality by others. Most studies do show that the head and neck proves to be the commonest site for burns and scalds, so this problem is particularly well addressed throughout.

It is quickly apparent that the many coloured clinical illustrations are not for the squeamish and, even for the medically trained, there is the occasional image ‘to make one's toes curl’. It was nice to see that attempts to anonymise facial photographs are largely confined to a black ellipse masking the cornea and iris. This is a contrast to other techniques (e.g. pixilation), which can destroy any value. A few images are ill-focused, but probably date from an earlier time when we did not carry the image-grabbing potential of a modern mobile phone. Coloured line diagrams nicely illustrate anatomy, and there is particularly useful coverage of skin suturing techniques.

The bulk of the book consists of site-specific chapters, ranging from injuries of the scalp, the eyelids, the nasal skeleton, the cheek amongst many others, and even to including the facial nerve. The text is very well written and makes for easy reading. It is filled with useful and practical tips and pearls for surgical repair.

Although, again, the text is of greatest value to the staff of the emergency room and to a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, especially in burns management, there is much in this compact book for any specialty working above the clavicles. This is yet another useful product from a publisher that has been so prolific in our field of late.