Now in its twelfth edition, Grant's Atlas of Anatomy comes highly recommended in the Core Collection of Medical Books (Jones, 2005), a reliable acquisition tool that is used across Health Libraries. The majority of health libraries would have this book in its collection. The first edition was published in 1943, and it remains the gold standard of anatomy books. It is updated on average every five to six years. Each edition requires intense research and creativity. A unique feature of this text is that the classic illustrations represent actual dissection so that the student can directly compare with specimens in the laboratory. In this edition, many changes have been made to the illustrations as suggested by reviewers. Images are still of high quality but have been made with more lifelike skin tones to provide a more realistic depiction of anatomy.
As well as the updated artwork, the new edition of this classic atlas features many improvements including more vital tissue colours, new conceptual diagrams, a more consistent art style and integration of new clinical images with expanded clinical descriptions.
In addition, the organization within each chapter has been updated to provide a clearer and more consistent approach. Basic organization by body region is maintained in this edition. There are nine topographical regions, in sequential order – thorax, abdomen, pelvis and perineum, back lower limb, upper limb, head, neck and crania nerves. Sections within each chapter further organize the region into distinct sub regions, e.g. Systemic Overview of the Lower Limb is the main section followed by sub regions of bones, nerves, blood vessels, lymphatics, and musculofascial compartments. Readers only need to glance at these titles to orient themselves to the region and sub region to which the figures belong. All sections also appear as a table of contents on the first page of each chapter and, along with each section being identified with a different colour‐coded thumb index imprinted in descending order on the right‐hand edge of each page, make it adaptable as quick reference tool.
Tables have been updated, expanded and improved. This will help students organize complex information in an easy to use format, ideal for studying and reviewing. In the eleventh edition, muscle tables were introduced which proved popular with both students and reviewers. Therefore, this edition includes expanded tables for nerves, arteries, veins and other relevant structures.
A companion web site offers versions of Grant's Interactive Atlas, including images from the book, video clips from Acland's DVD Atlas of Human Anatomy, USMLE style questions (United States Medical Licensing Examination of multiple choice answers which coaches students but allowing interactions and providing a comprehensive teaching experience), image‐based drag‐and‐drop questions and electronic flash cards.
I would highly recommend this book. It has a varied target readership, but it will be more popular with undergraduates. Reasonably priced in the UK at just £29.95 in paperback, it continues to be a well‐loved and easy to use classic.
