Principles of Bone Biology, 3rd ed.  J.P. Bilezikan, L.G. Raisz, and T.J. Martin, eds. Elsevier; 2008, 1900 pages, $429.00.

Principles of Bone Biology is an excellent single-source review of the rapidly expanding knowledge base of the biology of bone. Nearly 200 authors contributed to the 90 chapters in this book. The text is authoritative, comprehensive, scholarly, and up-to-date. The editors present us with a well-constructed and well-written narrative. The first part of the book guides the reader from the very basics of cell biology, through the biochemistry, endocrinology, and homeostatic mechanisms of bone. The succeeding parts of the book focus on molecular mechanisms of metabolic disease, pharmacologic mechanisms of therapeutics, and, finally, methods in current bone research. The illustrations, graphs, multiple line drawings, and diagrams are plentiful and well done and serve to clarify key concepts discussed in the text.

Although this is not a text directed specifically to the imager, any radiologist interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the biologic basis of the radiographic findings, clinical manifestations, and therapeutic approaches to diseases of bone will benefit from reading this publication. This book is an excellent reference for those involved in the research, treatment, or diagnosis of metabolic bone disease. It would also be a worthwhile reference source for a medical school library or a radiology department book collection.