Book excerpt: Bonica's Management of Pain was the first major textbook written primarily to guide practitioners as a comprehensive clinical text in the field of pain medicine. We aim to build on Bonica's tradition to assemble an updated, comprehensive textbook for pain practitioners that is seen as the leading text in the field of pain medicine. Prior editions have been largely based on contributions from leading practitioners who described current practice; this revision will make every attempt to include concise summaries of the available evidence that guides current practice.