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It is not often I read a text book and wish I had written it! This book is excellent. It is everything that lots of people and books have taught me about palpation and surface anatomy over a number of years all rolled into 340 pages.

Trail Guide tells you how to explore the body and know exactly where you are by locating the landmarks of the anatomy – just as you would when reading a map.

The diagrams make it gloriously simple, so you can't possibly get lost! The text is clear, concise and non-patronizing.

The Introduction subtitled 'Tour guide tips' has a 'How to use this book' section – always useful – which not only explains the icons used throughout but also includes some beginners hints on palpation – suggesting that you practise first on your neighbour's cat. On a more serious note there is advice about how to feel a muscle by rolling and strumming, how to use movement and stillness to feel the body working. Anyone will find the exploring textual differences of structures a real learning experience, and beginners to body work the explanation of tendons, ligaments and fascia simple to understand.

Chapter one entitled 'Navigating the Body' is an overview of the body's main systems. The skeletal and muscular and 'fascial systems are covered fairly superficially. The overview of the cardiovascular, lymphatic and nervous systems are even more superficial and are just illustrations of the main networks of vessels and nerves. If I do have a criticism of this book it is the inclusion of these three systems in such scant detail.

The body has been divided into six main anatomical areas with a chapter devoted to each – shoulder and arm; forearm and hand; spine and thorax; head neck and face; pelvis and thigh; leg and foot.

Each chapter starts with the overall picture of the area to be studied. There are illustrations of the surface of the body, instructions of how to explore the skin and fascia of the area, the bones under the surface and most importantly the bony landmarks. All the diagrams use the same colour coding – red for the focus area and directions and pencil drawings and shading for the rest – very simple but effective and clear.

After this you find what separates this book from all the others – 'Bony Landmark Trails' (hence the name of the book). The author suggests that 'trail markers' be used as 'stepping off points to locate muscles and tendons'. The trail is made up of the bony landmarks which give you a path to follow through the 'jungle of flesh and bones' without which you would be completely lost. This is a great idea which works beautifully. There are arrows on the diagrams making navigation of the body's surface easy.

Once you know where you are, the muscles are then introduced. Along the trail you can palpate the muscles with step by step instructions and how to confirm you are feeling the right structure. The diagrams of these muscles are accompanied by information of the origin and insertion ofeach muscle, its actions and nerve supply.

Not only do you see the anatomy, but there are drawings with the 'body' in the best position for palpating the structure with the therapists hands superimposed so you can see exactly what you are supposed to be doing and where.

For completeness, at the end of each chapter the other related structures to that area are illustrated and if practical palpated.

Finally there is a chapter on Synergists. Here you will find lists of muscles grouped under individual joint movements, e.g. flexion of the hip has a list of eleven muscles that can bring about this movement. Students of anatomy may find this perplexing as it is not stated which muscles are the prime movers and which are the synergists!

Dotted throughout the book at the foot of the page are boxes or footnotes containing some interesting or useful information – historic snippets, origins of anatomical words, extra tutorial hints or extra anatomical information – all relevant to the section being studied.

The bibliography is extensive ranging from 1946 to 1997, but unfortunately has not been updated for this second edition. A Glossary of terms is included as well as a section on Pronunciation and Etymology (the meaning of which is explained in a footnote on page 13!).

I found the index confusing at first – there are three – one all-inclusive and a separate one each for bones and muscles which I found to be unnecessary.

Trail Guide would be particularly useful for students of anatomy, body workers/therapists – beginners as well as advanced students and the already qualified; sports massage therapists as well as students of osteopathy – anyone who needs to locate and isolate a 'problem area' before embarking on a treatment.

This book is an absolute 'must have' for the library of schools concerned with teaching all types of body work. At £40, individuals may find it too much for their budget. It would however, be an invaluable investment for their future practice. I highly recommend this book as course reading for all body orientated courses.

About the ReviewerJackie Pietroni (BSc. Hons) is a qualified registered general nurse and nurse lecturer, massage practitioner and aromatherapist, practising in a National Health General Practitioners' Surgery in West London, and in private practice. She is Senior Lecturer in Anatomy and Physiology at the Clare Maxwell-Hudson School in London where she also co-facilitates the Aromatherapy and Cancer Care Course. She can be contacted via admin@cmhmassage.co.uk or directly on jackiepietroni@hotmail.com

Readers wishing to purchase this book should contact James Earls of Ultimate Massage Solutions on Tel: 028-9059 0594; E: jearls@eim.dnet.co.uk

This book can be ordered from the Positive Health bookstore. Please click the Bookshop image at the top of the column to your right, then click on Bodywork.