Wc have felt for some years that an atlas of paediatrie dermatology merired a place in the world dcrmatologicallitcrature. Non-dermatologists find skin conditiom difficult to describe and diagnose and this may bc cvcn mare difficult in children. Wc usually rely on the paTents for a history in childrcn, although many conclitions can bc spur dtagnoses. In this atlas wc have med to illustrare cOllditions seen regularly 111 our dinics as weIl as some seen mare rarely but which arc nevercheless important to recognize. Wc have limired the number of illustrations tn order to producc a realistically-priced book and thus it has not always becn easy to decide what to indude and whae to omu. Howevee, wc hope that wc havc produced a reasonably comprehensive work. We hope that this atlas will have a wide appeal both at home and abroad. It is a book either to read or to browse through. It is intended for senior medical students, family practitioners, and for trainees both 111 dermatology and in paediatrics. We would like it acttlally taken to skin clinics to be avatlablc for instant pcrusal, and to bc on hand in the paediatric ward. Wc have said comparatively little about treatment because this alters regularly and often varies in different centres and bccause we do not think that an atlas is the place for this.