Berek & Novak’s Gynecology, 16th Edition

The gold-standard text in gynecology has been published in its 15th edition, thoroughly revised and updated and now in full color throughout. This edition continues to uphold the goals of Emil Novak’s original 1941 publication: to provide a comprehensive yet accessible overview of the expanding field of gynecology, serving as a gold-standard reference for private practitioners as well as an excellent teaching tool for those in training. In comparing this book to Stenchever’s Comprehensive Gynecology, 4th edition (Mosby, 2001), which has been touted by some as the “Bible” of gynecology for residents, Berek and Novak’s textbook seems to be at least as good as the former.

The 15th edition is structurally sound, comprehensive, and accessible. The book covers the entire spectrum of women’s healthcare, tidily yet comprehensively, organized into eight sections. This comprehensive and general gynecological textbook provides guidance for the management of specific gynecological conditions. The first two sections cover principles of practice and initial assessment and the relevant basic science. The third section is on preventive and primary care for women, and the remaining five sections are directed at methods of diagnosis and management in general gynecology, operative general gynecology, urogynecology and pelvic reconstructive surgery, reproductive endocrinology, and gynecologic oncology.

In this edition, there is an update on robotics in gynecology as well. The text covers the basics of anatomy and physiology of the female reproductive tract to the management of complicated gynecologic conditions. The book goes above and beyond the objectives to provide a thorough and current review of gynecology. The book covers a wide range of topics, from anatomy and embryology to gynecologic malignancies and everything in between. It is a fantastic review of the current literature, and the color art is a great complement to the text. This should be on every gynecologist’s bookshelf. It is an essential reference that covers all components of the practice.