Book excerpt: This book is aimed at anaesthetists in training and those studying for the FFARCS examination, as well as at those senior anaesthetists whose training was completed before the revival of interest in regional anaesthesia. Those already using regional techniques will find the book useful for extending and updating their knowledge. Key features include: clear views on often misunderstood subjects such as the pharmacokinetics and systemic toxicity of local anaesthetic drugs and the use of test doses; a comprehensive chapter on the management of patients undergoing regional anaesthesia; an assessment of the present place of spinal anaesthesia and an account of the features of some of the newer spinal agents.