For anyone who has a say in what appears in print and need to know whether, as well as looking good, it will do its job by being read. It gives practical answers on choosing the right typeface, on colour, tints, and many basic aspects of layout.

The Ottawa Anesthesia Primer is an essential primary text for medical students and residents completing a rotation in anesthesia. Written by over 40 authors and edited by Dr. Patrick Sullivan, the 2023 Ottawa Anesthesia Primer updates the previous 2013 edition. Selected learning objectives can be used and tailored to meet the needs of the reader. Learning objectives appropriate to medical students completing a rotation in anesthesia focus on preoperative assessment, securing intravenous access, airway management, basic resuscitation skills, acute pain management and the safe use of local anesthetics. Anesthesiologists, anesthesia residents and physicians from other specialties will find advanced topics discussing the management of the difficult airway, regional anesthesia, acute and chronic pain, management of the circulation, and adult and neonatal resuscitation to name a few of the 26 chapters. The Primer is available as an Apple and Kindle book, and as a printed book. Hyperlinks in the Apple and Kindle books provide direct access to reference articles, instructional videos, case discussions, and other resources. Each chapter in the printed book is accompanied by a QR code image. By simply scanning the QR code image with any smart device camera, the reader has access to the Primers' electronic resources. The QR code enabled print book combines the best of both the traditional analog and digital worlds. The accompanying procedural videos are a valuable resource for educators who can use them as a springboard for further discussion as students gain confidence in their knowledge and procedural skills.

The proliferation of desktop publishing has reawakened interest in the presentational aspects of printed communication; that is, in what writing looks like. When picking a fonts package, the image-conscious self-expresser would do well to consult Wheildon on the ins and outs of typography and graphic design; indeed, for those in advertising, his book will serve as a layout primer. In measured, detailed language, and drawing on nine years of research, Wheildon discusses page layout, typefaces, reader behavior, and more. Further, given subject matter that lends itself to insightful illustration, he accompanies the text with graphics that enhance and underscore his points at every turn. His writing seems a bit technical, even dry, at first, but detailed and crisp exposition combine with apt illustration to impart as much depth about the technical aspects of presenting printed communication as many readers may want. Mike Tribby. --