Book excerpt: Inflammatory Dermatoses: The Basics will serve as an effective and efficient handbook for the student of dermatopathology, and as a practical bench reference for the practicing diagnostician who desires rapid access to criteria that are useful in differentiating histologically similar entities. The reader will be able to focus upon a single histologic observation, i.e., inflammatory conditions without epidermal changes, and use this as a starting point from which to build a differential diagnosis based upon pattern recognition. As each entity is addressed, there will be a concise discussion of the basic clinical findings and epidemiologic associations. This will be followed by a histologic description, highlighting areas that serve to discriminate between the entity under discussion and similar ones. Any immunologic studies that might augment the diagnostic sensitivity or specificity will be discussed. The chapters are thematically based and consist of essential bullet points arranged in organized outlines allowing for easy access and direct comparison between entities. The salient histologic features are depicted with abundant high quality, full-color photomicrographs placed immediately adjacent to the appropriate histologic bullet points. This volume will serve as an effective and efficient handbook for the student of dermatopathology, and as a practical bench reference for the practicing diagnostician who desires rapid access to criteria that are useful in differentiating histologically similar entities. The elaborate pictorial documentation will also enable the book to serve as an atlas of the commonest dermatologic disorders.