European Journal of Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry

Book Review - The Face: Pictorial Atlas of Clinical Anatomy.

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Cover Date

December 2013

Print ISSN

0965-7452

Vol

21

Issue

4

Abstract

Book Review

The Face: Pictorial Atlas of Clinical Anatomy. R. Radlanski and K. Wesker. Quintessence Publishing. 354 pages, 406 mostly colour illustrations. ISBN 978-1-85097-214-3. Hardback £124

If only this book had been available during my undergraduate and postgraduate training days, my life would have been made so much easier. Whatever your status, field or specialty, this is a must have reference for your bookshelf..… This is the first English edition of the book, which has recently been published from the German edition and I am sure that it will be a publication that it will be around for a number of years to come. It is hard backed, 354 pages long, with two pages of classical and current references, albeit a number of references are of non-English language. The two lead German authors are Ralf Radlanaski, a current practicing orthodontist and the Director of Craniofacial Biology at Charite in Berlin; and Karl Wesker, who is a renowned artist and illustrator also based in Berlin. There are a number of other highly distinguished international authors that have contributed to this prestigious publication. Following the preface to the book, a poignant prologue alludes to how detailed anatomical structures translate to functional anatomy, with each and every person’s individual face having a unique set of characteristics that identifies them for who they are. The face is identified as such an important region of the body, with emotional feelings being reflected by facial expressions and the face being “a mirror or our soul”. Taken to a next level, the way an individual sees other peoples’ faces has such a dramatic affect on the way they communicate and interact with each other. “The face shows not only a spontaneous impression of the person but also a lived identity”.

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