This comprehensive textbook provides both depth and breadth of the current state of knowledge about traumatic brain injury (TBI) with the added advantage that it's all between one set of book covers. The 40 chapters are thoughtfully organized into 7 sections. Section titles announce the scope of the book: Epidemiology and Pathophysiology, Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Special Populations and Issues, Social Issues, Treatment, and Prevention.

The roster of chapter authors (75!) includes some of the most prominent names in the field. Thus, Thomas Gennarelli and David Graham author the well-illustrated chapter on “Neuropathology”; Erin Bigler is the author of “Structural Imaging” (also well-illustrated); the O'Shanicks (Gregory J and Alison Moon) wrote “Personality Disorders”; Nathan D. Zasler is first author on the “Chronic Pain” and “Sexual Dysfunction” chapters; Jeffrey Barth contributed to “Sports Injuries”; D. Nathan Cope is senior author on “Systems of Care”; and Wayne A. Gordon and Mary R. Hibbard are the authors for “Cognitive Rehabilitation.” Yet, one important source of creative and instructive knowledge in the field of TBI is missing: non-Americans! Three Canadians (all from Toronto) and one Scotsman are the only “auslanders,” although many European neuropsychologists, neurologists, and physiatrists have made important—and for some, ground-breaking—contributions.

Breadth and depth of coverage is evident in chapters on TBI issues that are important but often overlooked or only addressed in passing. Thus, “Fatigue and Sleep Problems,” dealing with common but only infrequently noted or studied TBI sequelae, merit 15 (8 × 11, small print, double column) pages; “Balance Problems and Dizziness” are discussed in an 11 page chapter; special problems for “Elderly” TBI patients are treated in a 13 page chapter. “Alcohol and Drug Disorders” begins with a discussion of problems involved in treating the acutely injured drug or alcohol-dependent patient, reviews complications of substance dependency, and offers advice regarding “Intermediate and Long-term Treatment” of these patients.

More commonly considered topics are also dealt with in useful specifics. For example, two chapters treat “Structural Imaging” and “Functional Imaging” separately, each presenting in detail the varieties of available techniques, their applications, and their limitations, and each making some of their more technical material readily accessible with tables and charts. As another example, the Prevention section is also divided into two chapters, one providing current information on pharmacotherapy for acute TBI (i.e., pharmacologic treatments that may reduce the severity of the injury), and one on the behavioral and social aspects of prevention (e.g., use of airbags and seat belts, gun safety, reducing drunken driving, “In 1983, Utah and Oregon were the first two states that lowered the [blood alcohol] level to 0.08 g/DL.”). The authors of “Ethical and Clinical Legal Issues” review current thinking and practice requirements for such concerns as informed consent, incompetent patients, the use(fulness) of advance directives, and guardianship. They also discuss both criminal and civil litigation issues—including the hot topic of malingering—as they apply to the TBI patient.

In sum, this book provides coverage in depth for the full gamut of TBI issues and information. The material it contains is sufficiently up-to-date that it can continue to serve for at least four to five years—enough time to allow for a second edition update. Even without adequate representation from overseas it is a “must have” for all professionals who work with TBI patients. Now that I've become acquainted with it I wouldn't want to be without it.