Book excerpt: This issue of Clinics in Sports Medicine, edited by Eric McCarty, will cover a variety of useful topics related to Articular Cartilage. Articles include, but are not limited to: Basic science of articular cartilage; Non-operative options for management of articular cartilage disease; Biologic options for articular cartilage wear; Management of OCD lesions of the Knee; Elbow and Ankle, Microfracture; Osteochondral Autograft; Allografts; Autologous Chondrocytes and Next Generation Matrix based Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation; Management and surgical options for articular defects in the shoulder; and Management and surgical options for articular defects in the hip, among others.