Weiss SW, Goldblum JR: Enzinger and Weiss's Soft Tissue Tumors, Fourth Edition, 1622 pp, St. Louis, Mosby ($295.00).

Ever since it appeared for the first time in 1983, this textbook of soft tissue tumors has become one of the “must-haves” for surgical pathologists. Unquestionably on the list of the pathology equivalent of the books of “the great Western Canon,” it's new editions have, up to now, been eagerly expected and usually welcomed by the pathology community. The new edition will not disappoint those aficionados.

The fourth edition has Dr. Enzinger's name only in the title, but in spirit this is still the same book that was conceived in the 70s in the AFIP. In addition to the new co-author (Dr. Goldblum, a former resident). Dr. Weiss has enlisted the help of eight contributors, who have written parts of the text dealing with clinical aspects of soft tissue tumors, immunohistochemistry, molecular genetics, and fine needle aspiration biopsies of these lesions. Dr. Irving Dardick is given credit for the color renditions, which could almost all be judged as outstanding.

The readers who grew up using the previous editions will recognize some of the old pictures but also will find many more new ones. As before, illustrations are judiciously chosen and very helpful to neophytes and experienced pathologists alike. Clinical photographs and electron microphotographs reprinted from previous editions have lost a bit of their quality in this process and probably will need to be replaced in the next edition; nevertheless, they convey the messages clearly and are important for the understanding of the text. The color photographs, used extensively in all the chapters, are a major new feature and will be welcomed by most pathologists. The layout of the text is still the same, but it is more readable and the color added to the subheadings and tables makes it esthetically very pleasing. The text is very readable, authoritative, and most of us will find it very “user-friendly.” It is erudite but not bookish, didactic but not dogmatic. In addition to the new chapters reflecting the current trends in diagnostic pathology, all other chapters have been extensively revised and updated. References are up-to date, including papers from the late 1990s and even the year 2000.

The appearance of the fourth edition of Enzinger and Weiss's classic is the publishing event of the year, and the book deserves to be greeted in unison with kudos to the authors and the publisher. As the leading textbook on soft part tumors, it belongs in the core library of all pathologists, and on the essential short list of books in surgical pathology sign-out rooms.