This review is long overdue I am afraid. The best of intentions can be destroyed by the pressures of training or service work, and this book long since went off to its reviewer. I fear it has now vanished off the proverbial radar, but hope it is proving of use somewhere! Happy chance it was that found me a spare copy of this German textbook, from a publisher which never disappoints.

This is more than a simple manual of operative techniques. It tackles the basic science underlying the planned procedure, the indications and contraindications, the pitfalls, and post-operative care. The text is well illustrated, particularly for reconstructive and facioplastic surgery, a section that encompasses advanced skills such as external rhinoplasty, scar revision, keloid management and free skin grafts. Throughout, the book takes ‘Essential Procedures’ to an advanced level.

The text is well updated to include such developments as transplantation, cochlear implants, bone-anchored prostheses and laser surgery. Throughout, there is clever use of boxed highlights on ‘tips, tricks and risks’, which makes for easy browsing. I was interested to see that the publishers advertise this as ‘an indispensable companion for all fellows and residents in otolaryngology during training and in daily practice’. I feel it goes beyond that, and as a senior otologist (getting more senior every day) found it thought-provoking in its coverage of many topics.

Whilst your Euros are worth anything, this is well worth a place on the departmental bookshelf and, with the exchange rate (at the time of writing) so favourable to those of us watching from across the Channel, it is a bargain.