Media Reviews
In the second edition of this landmark work, Fairburn and Brownell have again boldly linked eating disorders and obesity in one authoritative volume. It provides the clinician and the researcher, who formerly had to master two different literatures, with a splendid overview of the very latest information in 112 short, superbly crafted chapters. The first edition of this volume made history; this second edition is even better. --Albert Stunkard, M.D.
Fairburn and Brownell have produced the definitive handbook integrating the fields of obesity and eating disorders. This second edition of the handbook is even better than the first. Well organized and carefully edited, it is unmatched in providing comprehensive and authoritative coverage of both fields. The book is an indispensable resource for clinicians and researchers alike. It is also a blessing for anyone teaching a course in the general area. --G. Terence Wilson, PhD
Praise for the First Edition
The scope of this new compendium is impressive, with 101 chapters contributed by a distinguished roster of internationally recognized investigators and clinicians....The user-friendly nature of the book is apparent in the readability of the individual chapters....There are remarkably few areas of substantive duplication in coverage....Looking back over the book, I am reminded of the editors' comments in the preface regarding 'the regrettable separation of the eating disorders and obesity fields.'....For clinicians and investigators, this outstanding handbook should help to bridge the historical gap between those fields. --The New England Journal of Medicine
In the weeks [this book] has been in my office I have used it more than any other text. It is what it claims to be, both 'comprehensive' and a 'handbook'. It provides the reader, novice or expert, with instant informed opinion and points them to additional, more detailed sources to continue investigation....Bringing together such an international collection of distinguished scientists and clinicians under one cover may be an important step to help the scientific community, the general public, and Government funding recognize that both [eating disorders and obesity] are in need of action and in a coordinated way. Clinical psychologists with a current or putative interest in either eating disorders or obesity should have access to this book. --The British Journal of Clinical Psychology
The editors of this book have been successful in presenting and integrating all that is currently known about eating disorders and obesity into one well-organized, carefully edited, sound, user-friendly book. This text is a must for the libraries of practitioners working in the fields of obesity and eating disorders. --Journal of the American Dietetic Association
This multi-author textbook successfully conveys state-of-the-art information in brief yet authoritative chapters on fundamental issues, basic science, assessments, clinical characteristics, and treatments of all three of the eating disorders....Invaluable for clinicians and students. --Readings
This volume was boldly conceived....[Brownell and Fairburn] have attempted to cover extensive aspects of both eating disorders and obesity, to tap many of the world experts, to present controversial as well as conventional perspectives to enrich documented data with clinical insights, to be useful to generalists as well as specialists, to elucidate research methodology as well as clinical techniques, and to be current in a rapidly changing field. Remarkably, they have accomplished all this with impressive success....I recommend this book highly to all professionals who work with eating-disordered or overweight patients. --Eating Disorders
Authoritative, accessible and practical. --Idea Today
On occasion, a book is published that is so unique in its contribution and so completely fulfills its lofty goals that it is bound to become a classic the moment the first copy rolls off the press. This volume edited by Brownell and Fairburn is one of those classics....Both editors have demonstrated throughout their careers a broad-based perspective that is clearly evident in this collaborative effort....The volume stands out for...its integration of eating disorders and obesity across disciplines, its comprehensiveness, and its synoptic style....One cannot overlook the reasonable price of the book...it is a true bargain that is rare among today's highly inflated book prices. Eating Disorders and Obesity succeeds as a valuable and unique scholarly contribution. I recommend it highly for the reference library of anyone interested in obesity, eating disorders, or behavioral medicine. --Contemporary Psychology
It is certainly good to see a volume bringing together material on all the eating disorders, including those that result in obesity. Indeed, the range of the book is without doubt impressive; its sections include the regulation of eating and weight, dieting and body image, measurement, classification, clinical characteristics and history of eating disorders, epidemiology and medical aspects as well as a section devoted to the major treatment initiatives. --Child Psychology and Psychiatry