Most readers will be familiar with the textbook edited by JB Lawson and DB Stewart entitled Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Tropics and Developing Countries. Published in 1967, it met a great need and remained in print in the English Language Book Society paperback version until 1991. Before then, parts of it had become outdated, the Safe Motherhood Initiative had begun and there was reawakened inspiration and impetus for better maternal health, which continues worldwide. These developments called for a radical revision of Lawson and Stewart's masterpiece: the result is this book.