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by Alice W. Flaherty, MD, PhD, and Natalia S. Rost, MD, 240 pp, with illus, $39.95, ISBN-13 978-0-7817-5137-7, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wolters Kluwer, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2007.

Nathaniel F. Watson, MD, Reviewer

Arch Neurol. 2008;65(2):280.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Merriam-Webster defines a handbook as: "A book capable of being conveniently carried as a ready reference." Regrettably, the term handbook is often used inappropriately by the publishing industry for marketing purposes. Indeed, these days one can find 800-page, hardcover tomes described as handbooks. Although these books may be ready references, they would never make it into the laboratory coat of an overworked, stressed-out intern.

When considering the value of a handbook, the purchasing intern must assess the content to weight + cost ratio; the higher the ratio, the more attractive the book. Is the content up to date, concise yet thorough, easy to find, and thoroughly cross-referenced? Is the book small and light or bulky and heavy, encumbering the intern as he or she darts around the hospital on call? Is the book affordable, or does it require the intern to cut back on caffeine-infused double tall . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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