Book excerpt: The Photographic Regional Atlas of Bone Disease is intended to serve the needs of a diverse audience including paleopathologists, physical anthropologists and other anthropologists, police, crime scene technicians, medical examiners, radiologists, anatomists, and other medical specialists, regardless of training or experience. Although originally written as a manual for physical anthropologists, it has become a reference for anyone examining skeletal remains or dealing with bone disease, especially in dry-bone specimens. Over the years it has gained in popularity as one of the few “required” manuals in most skeletal laboratories throughout the U.S. and, in fact, many countries. The purpose of the book is to bridge the gap between clinical medicine, radiology and physical anthropology by providing researchers with a single source and photographic atlas of what they might encounter in one bone or an entire skeletal collection, regardless of antiquity or origin. Unlike most texts written by clinicians for clinicians, or those that focus on one specialty, the Regional Atlas was compiled by biological anthropologists using a “dry bones” approach and simple yet precise terminology, based on examination of nearly 10,000 skeletons. The authors’ expertise and diversity in anatomy, radiology, pathology and human variation provide them with a unique perspective for distinguishing normal variation from pathological conditions. The book was written as a basic stand-alone reference for bone disease and normal variation. It contains black and white photographs and an extensive use of color plates depicting a variety of disease conditions and stages of progression that one might expect to encounter in one or many skeletons. The purpose of this text is to provide readers with sufficient information on bone disease and human variation for them to recognize, describe and interpret them. Once they have identified a disease, normal variant or other condition, they can turn to the bibliography for references and additional information. The Regional Atlas is intended to provide readers with enough information to do their own skeletal analysis. It is this “dry bones” approach, combined with the vast experiences of the authors, vivid photos and simple terminology, that sets the Regional Atlas apart from all others.