Book excerpt: This handbook appeals to a wide audience, as it was written with the practicing anesthesiologists in mind, as well as nurse anesthetists, obstetricians, housestaff, and residents. The Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook supplies expert advice on every facet of anesthesia for childbirth and related obstetric procedures. The text is authoritative, succinct, and highly practical. It is accompanied by over 100 illustrations and tables making the text a convenient reference to the busy practitioner. The handbook is also a natural companion to the recently published, Anesthetic and Obstetric Management of High-Risk Pregnancy, by the same author