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Successful Scientific Writing: A Step-By-Step Guide for Biomedical Scientists (Cambridge University Press, £14.95/$19.95, ISBN 0 52 1 55948 O) was ten years in the making – and all the better for it. Janice Matthews, John Bowen and Robert Matthews tested their manual in the field (the University of Georgia’s veterinary college), and the results have clearly enriched this pragmatic, well-written and comprehensive guide. Each stage -from marshalling ideas, through bashing out a first draft, revising it, honing it for publication and correcting it in proof – is neatly demystified and bolstered with exercises and examples. Also amply covered are style, usage, and key wordprocessing techniques. While Americanisms are inevitable, the advice on offer here has travelled well.