Surgeons normally write for surgeons, with heavy contributions from medical art and medical artists. This particular book is written for artists by an artist without contributions from surgeons, but clearly by an author with a profound and detailed knowledge of gross human anatomy as background. Readers are taken through every nuance of facial expression--what muscles are responsible, what combination of actions is required to produce a given expression, and by implication, the result of loss of such actions. Be it a smile, a grimace, or an expression of horror, anger or disgust--it is all there, well described and beautifully illustrated with the author's own charcoal sketches. In addition, the author has selected famous artworks (mostly paintings) from galleries across the world that illustrate the same points.

​

I came across this book fortuitously and I am glad I did. As reconstructive surgeons, we must look at fields of endeavor that overlap with our specialty. Art is certainly one of them. It is not enough that we be able to sculpt  a beautiful face in human bone and its cover. The movement is ever so much more important, as will be appreciated when we are confronted by patients with facial paralysis. This book helps us analyze what we must strive for, even though that was probably never the author's intention.

​

This beautifully produced volume of mostly original art should be found in every plastic surgeon's library, if not on his living room coffee table. I cannot help but wonder how it was possible to produce this masterpiece of art for $35.00. If it is on the basis of volume sales, there must be many more artists than there are plastic surgeons, or is it that one group is perceived more capable of paying for a book than another group?

​

Lars M. Vistnes, M.D.
Stanford CA​​​