If you are looking for an up-to-date encyclopaedia of paediatric chest disease, then this is it. As expected, this second edition is a substantial improvement over the first. Most of the 75 chapters are short and user friendly. The text is broken up with numerous coloured diagrams, figures, tables, x-ray images and boxed sections highlighting key points, teaching points, pitfalls and controversies. For those who want teaching resources, all images can be captured with ease directly into Powerpoint presentations via electronic access.

This edition is slightly less hefty than the previous edition, largely because the references are not included in the book — however, they are accessible electronically, with direct links to MEDLINE abstracts. Most chapters are very heavily referenced (eg, Chapter 3 has over 300 references) and remarkably up to date for a multi-author textbook, including a few references from as late as 2007.

Since the editors are from Western Australia and the United States, it is understandable that the majority of the expert authors are also from WA and the US. Nevertheless, all are clearly national and international authorities on their specific topics. Because there are over 130 separate authors, the style and format vary considerably. It is disappointing to see some very user “unfriendly” chapters. For example, in Chapter 35 (bacterial pneumonia) there are over 30 pages of continuous, dense text with only occasional subheadings, and illustrated with a total of only four small x-ray images.

To check both content and ease of access, I tested for several of my pet topics — including “plastic bronchitis” and “genetic surfactant deficiency mimicking interstitial lung disease”. Both were readily found, comprehensively covered, and with key references included. At $190.00, the book represents outstanding value for money, given the quality of the content, the outstanding diagrams and figures, and the huge number of electronic references.