Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology

TLDR

Background: The abstract says: "The encyclopedic tome popularly known among clinical cancer workers as 'DeVita' has now reached a fifth edition just 14 years from its beginnings in 1982." Also other background sentences: "This textbook on the scientific under-pinnings of oncology and clinical cancer management long ago put its competition in the shade." "It is monumental in every sense: clear concise writing, superb photos and illustrations, excellent tables and graphs, comprehensive—if sometimes overwhelming—literature references, and an adequate index." "All that said, it is heavy going, perhaps primarily because of the dense and concentrated nature of the material." "It is certainly not a text one would pick up and read for pleasure." "It is chock-full of information, and references are current through the mid 1990s." So background: It's a comprehensive oncology textbook, DeVita, fifth edition, 14 years old, dense, authoritative, etc. Summarize: "DeVita, a comprehensive oncology textbook now in its fifth edition, is a dense, authoritative resource with extensive content and up-to-date references through the mid-1990s." That covers. Mechanism: The mechanism sentences: "This edition encompasses some 3125 pages plus a 92-page index." "In its single-volume version, it weighs 11 pounds." "A more comfortable two-volume version is available for a few dollars more." So mechanism: It's a 3125-page single-volume 11-pound book, with 92-page index; also a two-volume version exists.

Abstract

The encyclopedic tome popularly known among clinical cancer workers as "DeVita" has now reached a fifth edition just 14 years from its beginnings in 1982. This edition encompasses some 3125 pages plus a 92-page index. In its single-volume version, it weighs 11 pounds. A more comfortable two-volume version is available for a few dollars more. This textbook on the scientific under-pinnings of oncology and clinical cancer management long ago put its competition in the shade. It is monumental in every sense: clear concise writing, superb photos and illustrations, excellent tables and graphs, comprehensive—if sometimes overwhelming—literature references, and an adequate index. All that said, it is heavy going, perhaps primarily because of the dense and concentrated nature of the material. It is certainly not a text one would pick up and read for pleasure. It is chock-full of information, and references are current through the mid 1990s. The