The original AO/ASIF Instrumentation manual presented a concise and complete description of the AO instruments. Thoughtfully developed by Fridolin Sequin and Rigmor Tex- hammar, the manual discussed in a clear fashion the purpose and care of the various AO instruments that are handled by the operating room staff. One important feature of the first edition was a detailed checklist of the instruments required for the more common operative procedures for treating fractures. Fridolin Sequin was well-suited to author the first edition: his 15 years of experience as a technical engineer for the AO gave him in-depth knowledge of AO instruments, and he drew on the clinical knowledge of Rigmor Texhammar, a consultant and di- rector of the AO courses for nurses. Its original feature of com- bining a column of text with a column of illustrations meant the manual quickly became accepted as a standard. By 1981, trans- lations could be found in English, French, Spanish, and Italian. Not surprisingly, the manual was very popular.