Stable angina, the most prevalent manifestation of coronary artery disease (CAD), has been underresearched, partly because it excites less interest among cardiologists than the more acute manifestations of CAD—where progress has been nothing less than brilliant—and partly because it is difficult to conduct studies sufficiently powered to demonstrate significant prognostic benefit in a population whose overall annual mortality rate is 1% - 3%. Whether nitrates improve prognosis, for example, is still unknown. Yet, stable angina offers a perfect window of opportunity for identifying those exposed to future events and for developing novel therapies such as plaque-stabilizing drugs. At the entry level of the workup pyramid, simple clinical assessment aided by the ankle-brachial index remains as accurate as any measure or combination of measures yet devised. At the highest level, angiography supplemented by plaque studies using magnetic resonance angiography is a candidate gatekeeper to revascularization. Bypass has definite prognostic benefit in many well-selected patients. Tailoring a management plan to optimize event-free survival in the individual patient requires awareness of the precise prognostic impact, in both the overall angina population and specific groups, of lifestyle, prophylaxis (aspirin, statins, and, increasingly, angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors), specific antianginal drug therapy, and invasive intervention...