By JOHN LANGONE

ll About Fibromyalgia," by Dr. Daniel J. Wallace and Janice Brock Wallace, Oxford University Press, $27.50.

This is a book about a disorder that some doctors say does not exist.

But fibromyalgia is real enough, the authors say, though criteria for defining it were not endorsed by organized medicine until 1990.

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The authors describe it as a poorly understood form of chronic neuromuscular pain, and the Arthritis Foundation classifies it vaguely as a sort of "soft tissue rheumatism."

One author, Dr. Wallace, has treated hundreds of fibromyalgia sufferers, and he clears up much misunderstanding about a disease that has sent six million Americans to doctors with complaints that often get them turned away or treated for depression.

Essentially, Dr. Wallace says, the disease involves widespread pain lasting at least three months. Often it is associated with trauma, stress and diseases like lupus, hepatitis and Lyme disease. Withdrawal from medications, especially steroids, can set it off.

Apart from his clear descriptions of the basic science behind the disorder and the new drug treatments available, Dr. Wallace emerges as a strong advocate for those plagued by it. "Many employers," he writes, "do not realize that fibromyalgia is a treatable workplace problem. It can impair job performance even though its symptoms and signs are invisible."