The rapid advances in antiplatelet therapy, the growing benefits of aspirin, the new IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists and the thienopyridines mean that there is a lot of information that needs distilling into a usable, practical form. The editor and his distinguished team of contributors, all experts in the field of antiplatelet therapy, have taken reams of information and put it all into a manageable form for consultants and trainees alike.