The classic medical textbook tends to be overly technical, excessively detailed, profusely referenced, and the antithesis of enjoyable reading. With the expectation of many hours of hard work, I lvas unprepared for the pleasure that lay ahead. This book is what we in the United States call a sleeper . Without pomp or solemnity it captures you with a light-hearted style that subtly belies its sophistication. The authors have indeed mastered the art of simplicity, combining profound knowledge with an airy format, to a degree that is hard to emulate. All the salient features o. fpacing are presented here, from history and pathology to complications and long-range follow-up. Perhaps it is a mark of excellence, rather than a confession of my personal ignorance, to say that there is scarcely a section that did not provide me with a new bit of information or a new insight. Permanent pacing o. f the heart is so common nowadays, at least in the more affluent sections 0. 1' the world, that almost every person must know of someone with an implanted pacemaker. In the United States, where there are more than 100, 000 new implants each year, almost every sizeable hospital has a pacemaker implantation service and almost every physician in a related field is interested in doing this surgery. All that should really be required is that the surgeon make himself an expert.