It is quite daunting being asked to review a text, now in its fourth edition, that has been around for the entirety of my academic career—the first edition appeared in 1980. I imagine that most people working with young people or teaching in this area will have come across one or other of the previous editions and will possibly believe that they are very familiar with the material that John Coleman explores in this particular textbook. If that is the case, then the obvious question is why the reader should invest in this new version.

I think there is a strong case for doing so. Those of you familiar with the previous edition (Coleman and Hendry, 1999) will be surprised by the extent of the changes in this edition.