Comparison is inevitable with part 2 of The Haemolytic Anaemias: The Autoimmune Haemolytic Anaemias , 1962, by John Dacie which, as they say in show biz, is a tough act to follow. Dacie brought to his task the long experience of a gifted and methodical hematologist. By virtue of scholarly discipline, Dacie accomplished a superb analysis and synthesis of his material; in no sense is his book the usual "review of the literature," a collage assembled with scisssors and paste from a collection of reprints. And, finally, Dacie writes well. In my opinion The Haemolytic Anaemias is the best hematologic book that has ever been published. Pirofsky covers much the same ground. To say that Pirofsky has not come up to Dacie is not a harsh judgment. But it is a fair one. Pirofsky's book has much to offer. It is large, with 10-inch pages set in two columns, therefore twice