In the preface to this book, the editors reflect that the original Handbook of Memory Disorders (Baddeley et al., 1995) was aimed at a clinically oriented readership. Following publication of the original text, it was noted that neuroscientists expressed enthusiasm for the work, thus the second edition of the handbook (Baddeley et al., 2002) expanded significantly on scientific issues that were perhaps of less immediate clinical relevance. The current text, which the editors have titled The Essential Handbook of Memory Disorders for Clinicians is composed of a series of chapters from the 2002 text. Similar to the 1995 first edition, the goal of this new book is to provide an accessible text aimed at clinicians. Core clinical issues of assessment, nomenclature, phenomenology, etiology, and management are examined as they relate to disorders of memory and associated underlying diseases.

The editors went about this task by selecting what they consider to be the more clinically relevant chapters from the second (2002) edition of The Handbook of Memory Disorders. The resulting text consists of a total of 15 chapters, authored for the most part by world-class clinicians and scientists. Although the book is not formally divided into sections, readers are likely to find themselves deriving four broad themes including contributions on the foundations of memory and amnesia, assessment, diseases underlying memory disorders, and rehabilitation and management. Although these broader themes are not covered in detail, the text does, in fact, generally address issues frequently confronted in practice. One could disagree with the inclusion or exclusion of selected chapters from the 2002 book to the current text, but in any case it is clear that the 15 chapters offered will be of value to clinicians.

Appropriately, the book begins with two chapters that lay the foundation for subsequent topics in the book. Studies of the psychology of memory are reviewed, including familiar topics such as types of memory (e.g., short-term memory, long-term memory), and stages of memory (encoding, storage, retrieval). Neurologic conditions associated with amnesia (such as cerebral anoxia/ischemia, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, cerebral vascular accidents, and others) and subtypes of amnesia and underlying neural circuitry are examined. In this context, the chapter by O'Connor and Verfaellie entitled “The amnesic syndrome: Overview and subtypes” should be considered mandatory reading for its elegant review of some of the principal neurologic conditions underlying amnesia.

A series of chapters dedicated to neurological conditions with associated memory disorders begins with an examination by Levin and Hanten of closed head injury as a cause for posttraumatic amnesia and residual memory deficits. The chapter is notable for its careful and commanding overview of the underlying empirical literature in this vast field. This is followed by well-informed chapters on psychogenic amnesia, acquired and congenital developmental amnesias, Alzheimer's disease, and memory dysfunction in an array of conditions associated with subcortical dementia (e.g., Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease).

A final series of chapters is aimed at clinically practical questions such as assessment of memory disorders, distinguishing disorders of memory from other cognitive impairments, and remediation and management of both children and adults with memory disorders. Noteworthy in this series are two chapters on assessment, one by Howeison and Lezak and another by Wilson. In combination, these chapters address some of the most clinically relevant issues in assessment of memory, and will be appreciated by readers as authoritative references. The book closes with a welcome chapter on the emotional and social consequences of memory disorders.

The editors of this book aim squarely at the needs of practicing clinicians by addressing some of the core questions and conditions faced by neuropsychologists. Although the book would benefit from more explicit conceptual “grouping” of chapters into themes, in the big picture this is a minor point. Also, as noted previously, some readers will wonder why certain chapters were omitted from the 2002 text. But in any case readers will be satisfied by a series of topics that are not only highly clinically relevant, but are presented by authors known for both clinical and scientific expertise. There is a pleasant blend of didactic clinical instruction and empirically derived data that leaves the reader knowing more than before reading this text. Perhaps most admirable in this volume is the authors' and editors' dedication to linking clinical phenomena with both psychological data and neural underpinnings. Simply put, clinicians should read what these authors write.

The Essential Handbook of Memory Disorders for Clinicians is highly recommended as a concise and clinically relevant text to which practitioners can turn for authoritative views on aspects of amnesic syndromes, as well as common underlying disorders that drive those syndromes. Additionally, this text could readily serve as a reference in the teaching of memory disorders at the graduate or postgraduate level.