Book excerpt: The first textbook of its kind dealing with composite tissue allograft and allograft transplantation, provides an excellent overview on the subject. It provides a clear description of the current status of the transplant of every composite tissue allograft already performed and others which are still at the basic experimental level.The editors of the book, who also contribute chapters in their expertise, are world renowned surgeons. This book opens with an introductory chapter on the history of this type of transplantation and then details the clinical experience in each graft such as hand, larynx, face, uterus and the related histopathology, immunosuppression and immunomodulation.A multidisciplinary and comprehensive presentation of the various aspects of this new area of transplantation will allow the reader to understand the complexity and the challenges of composite tissue transplantation. A number of important topics are analyzed and discussed in detail, such as the ethical, medicolegal, psychological and immunological implications. New rehabilitation techniques and strategies, together with innovative tools for the functional evaluation of the transplanted parts, are highlighted. A section on the experimental work underlines what lies ahead of us./a