Surgeons confronted with acute trauma are frequently under great pressure to act quickly. Only a few have an infallible three-dimensional memory as regards the different approaches necessary for treating fractures by inter nal fixation. Thus there is a real need for a reference book on the approaches to the shoulder, arm, pelvis, and leg which is instructive and based on clinical practice. This is true both for the emergency situation and for the "evening before" with the imperative preoperative planning. THOMAS RUEDI, himself a surgeon as well as a gifted illustrator, in coopera tion with ARTHUR VON HOCHSTETTER, a clinical anatomist, and excellently interpreted by the artist ROBERT SCHLUMPF, has created a novel and impres sive atlas. The surgical approaches are depicted in a manner which is ana tomically correct, limited to the essentials, and realistic. In addition, the attractive, black-and-white illustrations of the anatomy are successfully sup plemented by color schematic drawings. This luxuriously prepared edition may become a daily advisor to surgeons dealing with trauma. It deserves a widespread distribution in surgical depart ments and reference libraries.