Book excerpt: “Practical Handbook of Neurosurgery” invites readers to take part in a journey through the vast field of neurosurgery, in the company of internationally renowned experts. At a time when the discipline is experiencing a (detrimental) tendency to segment into various subfields and scatter in the process, it can be worthwhile to collect a number of practical lessons gleaned from experienced and leading neurosurgeons. The book also aims to present numerous important figures in the neurosurgical community, with a brief overview of the vitae and main contributions for each. We must confess that we were sad that some of the most active members were unable to participate, likely due to time constraints. We are however fortunate that the majority were able to take part. As such, though not exhaustive, the book does represent an anthology of contemporary neurosurgeons. From the preface: At the very beginning of the project, our intention was to make a “poetbook”. But month after month it became obvious that the work would be much more expansive; ultimately we produced three volumes. Nevertheless we hope that all the three volumes together will remain easily accessible and a daily companion. The pocket has to be more like a travel bag! We would like to thank all of the contributors; they have sacrficed their valuable time to deliver sound and critical views, and above all useful guidelines.