The latest edition of this book is larger and glossier than previous editions. Although it covers anatomy and physiology in meticulate detail, there is little on the practical clinical side of things. For instance, there is only one small paragraph covering pregnancy diagnosis by rectal palpation in the cow.

There are lots of nice diagrams interspersed frequently throughout the text. In particular the anatomical diagrams are extremely detailed and clear. However, the whole book lacks colour - all the photos are black and white, which gives the book a very dated appearance and does not draw your attention.

The scientific content is extremely thorough, with myriad data tables. These make understanding the text easier. There is a new chapter in this edition on llama and alpaca reproduction which may or may not be useful to you.

This book is certainly relevant tot he undergraduate veterinary course, although I think it needs to be used alongside other texts to cover the wide area of reproduction. It's one of those books which contains lots of useful information, but isn't, I feel, likely to be one you dip into just for the pleasure of reading it. If you buy it, you'll use it, and it will be useful throughout the veterinary course. I just feel it could be even better if it was modernised a bit more - to become a coffee table book it needs the addition of some colour and a cover that grabs you. After all, there are many other more colourful books out there all vying for your hard-earned (or loaned!) money.