Open Access publishing has finally become available to Thoracic Surgery. This is a rather simple publishing concept that removes the charges and the need for compulsory subscription. This therefore enables readers worldwide to broaden their access to scientific publications online and, best of all, for free. The numbers are staggering. As I was writing this Preface, I went to the publisher’s web site and found the following: 3,8 million downloads for all books published, championed by Electrical Engineering (29,2%) whereas Medicine is making its way up (13,9%). This is the reason why I believe that Open Access Publishing has become.
