The field of surgery has enchanted students for as long as it has existed, and today’s medical students are no exception. Despite surgery being vital to our healthcare system, very few students are exposed to surgical teaching at a level of detail approaching that of their instruction in medicine or critical care. This textbook seeks to excise the mystery around the operating theatre and to equip students with a thorough understanding of the principles of common operations. The Unofficial Guide to Surgery: Core Operations is a practical guide to common surgical operations, and it would be a useful resource for any medical or nursing student undertaking a rotation in surgery. Whether you’re a surgeon-to-be at the cutting edge of your cohort and hoping to wow your senior colleagues, or a budding psychiatrist unexcited about standing in theatre for hours on end, this textbook has something for you. It is detailed enough to serve as a study resource for the Christina Yangs of tomorrow, but organised and concise so that even the least surgically inclined student can feel more prepared for their obligatory stint in theatre after reading through an operation report while changing into their scrubs. The textbook features an introduction to the principles of surgery, followed by detailed operation reports for an extensive array of common procedures, organised in chapters based on speciality. Helpfully, each operation report includes the definition of the procedure being performed, its indications, high-quality illustrations of relevant anatomy, a step-by-step guide to the procedure at a level appropriate for students and junior doctors, and interesting trivia on the operation or associated condition. Students will be prepared for a niche question from even the most esoteric consultant!