ERS | monograph Preface John R. Hurst The aim of an ERS Monograph is to provide accessible, evidence-based and state-of-the-art reviews in a specific area of respiratory medicine, in order to guide clinicians, stimulate research and, ultimately, improve patient care. As such, it is a pleasure and a privilege to present and recommend to you this latest Monograph on Pleural Disease. The Guest Editors Nick Maskell, Christian Laursen, Gary Lee, and Najib Rahman are world-renowned in the field, and together with an impressive list of distinguished chapter authors, they have delivered a really exciting work. The science underpinning our understanding of pleural disease, and the evidence base for treatment, is expanding rapidly. Indeed, with the increasing need for specialist intervention, pleural disease has rightly become a subspeciality of respiratory medicine. The need for a new Monograph in the area was therefore great. Whether you are a generalist, a pleural specialist, a researcher investigating pleural disease or a specialist from another area of medicine in which pleural disease is common, there will be topics of interest here, written and edited with care and expertise. The edition covers epidemiology, models of pleural disease, physiology, radiology and intervention, in addition, of course, to the major pleural pathologies, including pleural effusions and pneumothorax. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Guest Editors and authors for their excellent contributions this Monograph is essential reading and should be the “go to” reference work on the topic for many years to come. Disclosures: J.R. Hurst reports receiving grants, personal fees and non-financial support from pharmaceutical companies that make medicines to treat respiratory disease. This includes reimbursement for educational activities and advisory work, and support to attend meetings. Copyright ©ERS 2020. Print ISBN: 978-1-84984-115-3. Online ISBN: 978-1-84984-116-0. Print ISSN: 2312-508X. Online ISSN: 2312-5098. https://doi.org/10.1183/2312508X.10004420 v