IT IS rare to find a book about the history and importance of nursing that captures the imagination and can be read and appreciated from beginning to end in one sitting. However, Celebrating Nurses – A Visual History is one such exception. It is described as ‘an accessible history of the nursing profession’ with ‘fascinating facts’ and ‘the testimony of nurses past and present [telling] the story of nursing through the centuries’. It has clearly been meticulously researched – and is beautifully illustrated with sepia, black and white and full-colour plates.