It is often said that we live in a violent world. Traumatic injuries are commonplace; every hospital, large or small, sees scores of such patients daily. Appropriate diagnosis and management of the trauma patient are necessary not only to save lives but also to minimize the morbidity which follows injury. It is not surprising, therefore, that several books covering various aspects of trauma diagnosis and treatment are published annually. They are, however, seldom redundant because of the continuing rapid evolution of knowledge relating to the diagnosis and management of the traumatized patient. This volume, restricted to the consideration of thoracic trauma, represents a comprehensive and authoritative study of chest injury. Dr. Groskin is exceptionally well qualified to discuss his subject, being Board Certified in Internal Medicine, in Pulmonary Diseases, and in Diagnostic Radiology. He has practiced and taught in these disciplines in several prestigious institutions. The author has used his multidisciplinary background to develop a book which is unique among others of its kind. The reader will quickly appreciate that it is unusual in its correlation of clinical information with radiological diagnosis. Unlike any other book on traumatology with which I am familiar, this volume discusses extensively the mechanisms of injury which make both clinical and radiological findings easier to understand and to remember. It also presents a meticulous approach to the diagnosis of the many forms of thoracic trauma in which all clinical and radiological diagnostic modalities are thoughtfully integrated.