One of the goals of the fourth edition of this series is the presentation of new molecular findings which add to our understanding of tumour pathogenesis and may additionally be useful diagnostically. Such information is particularly relevant to the study of bone tumours and tumour-like lesions and, in this volume, the authors have included an up-to-date summary of where pathologists stand in the application of this new data.

The authors are also well aware that the primary mission of this series is to help the practising pathologist diagnose a difficult case correctly and, for most pathologists, any lesion in a bone is potentially problematic. Thus, the important diagnostic feature of each major lesion (including all known variants) is presented in detail. This includes not only the gross, histopathologic, and cytologic findings, but also the clinical and radiographic features of particular importance in the differential diagnosis of bone tumours and their mimics.

Most illustrations of pathologic features are now in colour, and the classic references in this field have been complemented by extensive current literature citations. This volume should prove to be useful for many years.