Book excerpt: There has been an exponential increase in the volume and quality of published research relating to colorectal disease over the last decades. This book identifies the 50 key scientific articles in the field of colorectal disease and colorectal surgery and through expert reflections and editorial perspectives explains why these papers are important. Influential contributors who have shaped the practice of modern Colorectal Surgery comment on the Landmark Papers that have shaped and defined the specialty. Among thousands of articles, a small fraction are truly "game changing." Such studies form the foundations of colorectal surgery today and the selection of papers within this book provide the 50 landmark papers every 21st-century colorectal surgeon needs to know. A commentary to each carefully selected paper explains why these papers are so important, thus providing every surgeon with the foundation stones of knowledge in this fast-moving area. A valuable reference not only to the established surgeon, but also to colorectal surgery residents and trainees, as well as to more experienced surgeons as they continue to learn new techniques and approaches and to improve their knowledge of colorectal disease and treatments. The papers provide an evidence-based resource for those surgeons preparing for professional exams and may inspire clinicians to produce new research.