C. G. Caro, a physiologist and medical doctor, is Emeritus Professor of Physiological Mechanics and Senior Research Investigator in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London. T. J. Pedley is the recently retired G. I. Taylor Professor of Fluid Mechanics in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMPT) at the University of Cambridge. R. C. Schroter is Emeritus Professor of Biological Mechanics and Senior Research Investigator in the Bioengineering Department at Imperial College London. W. A. Seed worked for many years as a Senior Lecturer in medicine and as a clinical academic physician, with clinical and research interests in cardiopulmonary medicine. He also took a lead role in the development of a medical undergraduate curriculum for the newly-created Imperial College School of Medicine, where he still maintains an honorary teaching role.

• Preface to the second edition; Preface to the first edition; Part I. Background Mechanics: 1. Particles and continuous materials; 2. Particle mechanics; 3. Units; 4. Basic ideas in fluid mechanics; 5. Flow in pipes and around objects; 6. Dimensional analysis; 7. Solid mechanics and the properties of blood vessel walls; 8. Oscillations and waves; 9. An introduction to mass transfer; Part II. Mechanics of the Circulation: 10. Blood; 11. The heart; 12. The systemic arteries; 13. The systemic microcirculation; 14. The systemic veins; 15. The pulmonary circulation; Index.

'This splendid book is so well written that one would seriously question the vocation of an investigator who couldn't understand it. It is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the mechanics of the circulation. The normally incomprehensible mechanical laws are explained so clearly that even the non-mathematically minded will have no difficulty, which makes me very sorry that it was not available when I was grappling with these problems.' David Mendel, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine