The "SFCR Experts Series" represent a book series under the aegis of the French Spine Surgery Society (SFCR) and dedicated to the spine surgery. The aim of this first volume is to bring together all the fundamental concepts of spinal surgery, thus offering the spine surgeon an up-to-date overview of this field. To understand the present and anticipate the future, it is essential to know the past. The volume will therefore begin with the history of spinal surgery, describing the most significant milestones of this discipline. The present of spinal surgery will then be discussed, through the epidemiology of spinal practice and today's spinal pathologies. The fundamentals, including surgical anatomy, biomechanics, spinal instrumentation and biomaterials, the biology of bone fusion and bone substitutes, injuries and regeneration of the spinal cord, represent 'the heart' of the book and will subsequently be represented and illustrated within the pages by renowned experts. The economic environment is important for spinal surgery and the place and challenges of the spinal market will also be discussed. Finally, the section on data management, artificial intelligence, innovations and emerging technologies will provide the reader with perspectives and the future of spinal surgery. This first "SFCR Experts Series" volume will surely be greatly appreciated by neurosurgeons and orthopedists as an important contribution to the current knowledge of spine surgery.