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The first edition of Rook's Textbook of Dermatology was published nearly five decades ago in 1968, well before I was born. I feel privileged to have an opportunity to provide a review of the latest ninth edition, published in April 2016. The new edition consists of 14 sections and 160 chapters in a four‐volume hard copy and online edition.

When reading about various skin diseases in this edition, one of the main features observed at first glance is the strict attention to the same format throughout the book. The framework consists of definition, introduction and general description, epidemiology, associated diseases, pathophysiology, clinical features, investigations and management. This enhances the reader's familiarity with the layout and makes it very easy to find the relevant information quickly. It must have been a difficult task for the editors to maintain this pattern, especially in the context of a multi‐authored book, and especially for contributors writing chapters on rare diseases, where such information may not be easily available.

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