This useful and widely read book is now in its fourth edition. The fact that it is still being updated underlines its continued importance and relevance to academics and students today. The challenge with a book such as this is keeping its relevance in a constantly evolving policy and practice context. It has been 15 years since the first edition of this book was published in 1994, yet the authors have succeeded in ensuring the content is kept up to date and in tune with ongoing policy developments. The scope of the book has changed slightly in this edition with a more focused approach looking at developments in community care for adults in England. Other countries in the UK as well as Europe and further afield are used as examples and comparisons where appropriate. This necessary focus allows the authors to provide an in-depth and analytical discussion of community care policy and practice in England from historical and current perspectives. However, the discussions undertaken and conclusions drawn are of relevance beyond England. Chapters 2 and 3 offer a succinct but detailed history of the development of community care which is essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of current policy and practice and to understand the development of key themes driving community care. Chapters 4 to 7 bring the discussion up to date and provide in-depth analysis of some of the important themes within community care, such as the modernisation agenda, the relationship between community care and health services and the promotion of user empowerment. Chapter 8 focuses on the influence of policy and practice from other countries on policy in England through policy transfer and learning. This chapter takes a broader look at the world than in previous editions where the focus was on Europe. The final chapter draws together the main conclusions of the authors and raises some important points: firstly, that ‘the reality on the ground is becoming even more removed from the rhetoric emanating from central government’ (p. 255), particularly in terms of what monies are (not) available to meet new policy objectives; and, secondly, stressing the importance of frontline staff and their relationships with services users as that is essentially what community care is about for those who receive care. This book is an important contribution to our understanding of community care today and the historical context of how and why it developed in the manner it has. It should be essential reading for students of social policy and is of value to academics in social policy, sociology, gerontology and many other disciplines.