Core Topics in Pain. A. Holdcroft and S. Jaggar (editors). Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Pp. 345; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}40.00. ISBN 0-521 85778-3.

This book aims to provide an introduction to the field of painmedicine. The layout is clear, with many short chapters coveringa wide range of topics. The book is divided into six sections,some of which are further subdivided. The first section provides a very readable and concise overviewof the basic science of pain mechanisms,