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This is an extensively revised third edition of a reference book prepared by multiple authors. Although it is valuable, the problems of multiple authorship have not been resolved satisfactorily. Success in this area is attributable both to good judgment in selecting authors and vigorous editorial leadership. The problem of achieving excellence is eased in some instances by following standard patterns of analysis and presentation of data. The fourth edition of the Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics by L. S. Goodman and A. Gilman (McMillan Co, 1970, New York) is an outstanding example of this approach. However, vigorous editorial leadership can produce a masterful multiauthored volume even in situations where the problems are extremely diverse. The editors of Renal Hypertension (J. H. Page and J. W. McCubbin, Year Book Medical Publishers, 1968, Chicago) arranged for the synthesis and rewriting of all contributions they received from their many authors and produced a masterful