Clark CM Trojanowski JQ editors:

Neurodegenerative Dementias, 491 pp, New York, McGraw-Hill, 2000 ($137.50).

Monographs pertaining to single diseases are rarely published outside of series because, as I was told by my friends in publishing, such books do not sell well. The fact that this major publisher has undertaken the present project indicates that, nevertheless, some exceptions are expected to occur. For sake of good science and science-based medical practice, I hope that McGraw-Hill will receive from this book more than just plaudits of the reviewers. Kudos for publishing this important book are well deserved.

The book deals with neurodegenerative diseases, one of the most pressing and depressing topics of contemporary biomedical sciences. The editors have assembled a stellar team of clinicians, epidemiologists, psychologists, and basic scientists who were asked to illuminate these diseases from their point of view. In comparison with the relatively slow progress toward the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, the amount of work devoted to studying these diseases is staggering. It also is encouraging that the various specialists seem to be communicating with each other, and the effort (such as this book) is multidisciplinary.

If the reader needs a simplistic answer concerning Alzheimer, Parkinson, or other diseases that cause dementia, he/she would be better served by a digest in the popular tabloids. On the other hand, if an authoritative update and a credible, multifaceted summary is needed, these state-of-the-art reviews are the best that currently can be found on neurodegenerative diseases.