Science & Biology

Essential Biology- Second Edition

5 stars (Depth and Accuracy) - Campbell and Reece are best known as the authors of the hefty and excellent "Biology", now in it's 6th edition used by undegraduate biology majors and AP Biology students. "Essential Biology" uses a different approach. The authors have packed a great deal into this amazingly small textbook. I recently reviewed a huge number of introductory biology texts for adoption in our school district. We use Campbell and Reece's Biology, 6th edition for our AP biology course but were looking for a textbook to use with our 9th grade honors biology students. After a lengthy comparison of textbooks we picked "Essential Biology" based on several things. First we found the book to be accurate, readable, and concise. We felt that it would give the students a depth of understanding in the core biological principles so that they would be ready when they moved on to AP biology later in their high school career. Instead of trying to "cover" everything under the biological sun, "Essential Biology" focuses on four core biological topics: cells, genetics, evolution, and ecology. It's 20 chapters are broken up into these 4 units and does a wonderful job of pulling it all together. Other textbooks certainly cover more material but with less depth. What is the use of having a huge textbook that the students either never finish or rush through with no real understanding? This is a textbook that the students can dig into and throughly understand during one course. It is supported by CD-ROM's and on-line material. The website provides activities, on-line labs, quizes, and other practice. Students can print out results or e-mail them to their teachers. I would recommend this text as one for use in a non-majors biology course or as an advanced high school biology introductory course. ...
Benjamin Cummings :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Eric J Simon :: Jane B Reece :: Neil A Campbell :: :: Essential Biology- Second Edition

Biology - Life on Earth 7th Edition

2 stars (Book for high school, not worth the money) - This book goes into explaining Hardy-Weinberg principle and doesn't even have the equation for it! Nor does it mention two important words in the same chapter - dominant and recessive. If you want to look at pictures of animals and read over-simplified explanations then buy it. If your are looking for a scholarly book, then I would suggest to look elsewhere. 3 stars (Too much "fluff") - The major problem with this book is that there is so much unnecessary paragraphs which can just be said in a couple of sentences. This book is only good for those who have major trouble grasping the concepts and are in need of a mass amount of analogies and metaphors. If you are looking for a Biology book straight to the point, this is not for you; a better book is "Inquiry into Life" by Sylvia S. Mader. Once I read "Inquiry into Life," I found that "Biology: Life on Earth" was too drawn out. It is also not as detailed as I had expected it to be. 4 stars (An excellent introduction to biology!) - (Note: This review refers to the fifth edition of this book.) The authors of Biology: Life on Earth have written a beautiful, fairly comprehensive but not overwhelming introduction to the subject of biology. Although I have a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's in botany and found the book to be straightforward and clear, it is written so well and in such an engaging and conversational style that it should also be straightforward and clear to anyone who is new to biology. The colorful photographs and detailed diagrams add to the beauty of the book. I also like the feel of the pages. Many introductory biology books nowadays are quite heavy and bulky, and there is so much information in them that it is sometimes hard to get the "big picture." But this particular book is able to get the main aspects of biology conveyed in a more compact size. ( Some biology textbooks can be upwards of 1200 or more pages long, but this book gets...
Prentice Hall :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Biology (General) :: Biology :: Bruce E Byers :: Teresa Audesirk :: Geral :: Biology - Life on Earth (7th Edition)

Human Biology - Concepts and Current Issues 3rd Edition

5 stars (All Of The Biology Of The Human Body) - This wonderful book gives the reader a comprehensive presentation of the biology of the workings of the human body. The book comes with a CD ROM inside the cover and a free registration number for the tutor center which offers the learner internet and telephone support. ...
Benjamin Cummings :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Physiology :: Medical & Nursing :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Human biology :: Michael D Johnson :: :: Human Biology - Concepts and Current Issues (3rd Edition)

Bergey-s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology - Volume 2 Set- The Proteobacteria Bergey-s Manual of Sy

Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology : Volume 2 Set: The Proteobacteria (Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology 2nd Edition)...
Plenum US :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - Microbiology :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Life Sciences - Bacteriolo :: Bergey-s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology - Volume 2 Set- The Proteobacteria (Bergey-s Manual of Sy

Molecular Cell Biology- Fifth Edition

1 stars (Inferior in every way) - The Alberts text (Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fourth Edition) is superior to this text in every way. It is clearer, more precise, and contains more information. This one manages to make simple concepts become quite difficult. 5 stars (Excellent but starting to get outdated) - Excellent. Hands down the best book out there for cell biology. Gives a thorough look at the exciting unraveling of the cell. Figures are exceptional. However, being now ~3 years old and due to the intense output and growth of scientific literature this book is starting to get outdated. There have been several advances in a number of transport systems (i.e. Nuclear transport and regulation of gene expression). A new edition in the next year or so would hopefully address these issues. 1 stars (Rehash of previous edition to prevent resale.) - The book matches PERFECTLY to the previous edition... with loads of cut and paste of partial paragraphs. The result is that you could never find your way through a class using this edition with the previous edition: curbs the used book market. There is nothing more. No 'cutting edge technology' and minimal new info... not worth a new edition. All the "hard work" of putting together this edition was NOT done by the Authors, but by "hardworking" editors: NOT scientists. It isn't presenting any new science worthy of a new edition... thats just an appeal. The editing may have taken a lot of work but they obviously had a deadline! The combinations of sentences formed for the new edition from sentences edited from this and that chapter of the old edition are grammatical nightmares! The illustrations are also second rate. Why this book is popular must be a source of wonder to the editors. Half baked edition with undeserved popularity. Worse, the language hashed was difficult to begin with. A biologist who studied from this text would be a giggle to have around. ...
W H Freeman :: Science & Biology :: Genetics (non-medical) :: Cellular biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Molecular biology :: Life Sciences - Cytology :: Life Sciences :: Molecular Cell Biology- Fifth Edition

MP- Biology

4 stars (Simple) - Mader's "Biology" makes every thing simple with its easy-to-understand language and figures. Great EM shots, summarized tables, and applied examples are a few of the several features of the book. Also, summaries at the end of each section and chapter make it easy to reveiw what you have read in a short time. In addition, I have to note that the book is very simple. i.e. College students may need more detailes, although this book is very useful to them! 3 stars (Boring But Understandable) - Like most biology books full of big words and irrelevent terms this 4th edition biology book by Mader was quite easy for me to understand the scientific terms considering this was my first science course. This easy to read book is a must for those who struggle with the harsh technical terms in science 5 stars (Excellent resource for college/pre-college students) - Brilliant photography, logical arrangement of topics, outstanding illustrations, and well-written text combine to make this text an outstanding tool in the classroom, or as a resource. Features include: main ideas emphasized in boxes within text; challenging content written for easy comprehension; chapters introduced with clear objectives and concluded with detailed summary; information presented in logical flow; chapter assessment by essay, multiple-choice, and critical-thinking questions; detailed index and glossary. ...
McGraw-Hill Science-Engineering-Math :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Biology (General) :: Biology :: Sylvia S Mader :: :: MP- Biology

The Anatomy Coloring Book 3rd Edition

4 stars (The anatomy coloring book (3rd edition)) - The information is good but the pictures could be a little bigger. 5 stars (The Anatomy Coloring Book) - Excellent preparation for the study of Anatomy and Physiology Great service- books arrived in excellent shape. 5 stars ( The Anatomy Coloring Book (3rd Edition) ) - Book was received faster than I expected and was in excellent condition. ...
Benjamin Cummings :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Medical & Nursing :: Life Sciences - Human Anatomy & Physiology :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: :: The Anatomy Coloring Book (3rd Edition)

Brock Biology of Microorganisms 10th Edition

3 stars (Not so easy to read) - I got this book for an introductory class on microbiology. As part of a course it is OK. As others have pointed out there are some sections that could have been done better. For me the main issue was this was not so easy to read. I know it is college level, but for example my introductory biology and chemistry books did not suck the life out of everything and even had helpful little side articles that connected things up. If you are a professor I suggest using a different textbook, and of course you are better qualified to find said book. My issue was that this book was dull and I am interested in the subject so that shouldn't have been the case. 3 stars (Good for amateur microbiologists) - This book does a great job in reviewing the basic tenets of microbiology, however, it doesn't delve into near as much detail as needed for any micro major or graduate student. Sections on molecular bio of bacteria are particularly bad, and metabolic pathways are given only a brief overview (entner-doudoroff has less than 2 pages). That being said, the book does do an excellent job in surveying the vast numbers of microbes, and it virology section is above average for a bacteriology book. Decent intro book, but anyone going into detail should buy something else. 1 stars (?!) - too expansice, no answers for the stupid practice problems. They provide instructor free Study guide and CD, and the student has to buy the boring book. If they treat their readers equally, I would gave them 2 stars. ...
Prentice Hall :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Microorganisms :: Microbiology :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Jack Parker :: John Martinko :: Michael :: Brock Biology of Microorganisms (10th Edition)

Essential Biology with Physiology

5 stars (wonderful book) - I used this book to homeschool my 13 year old daughter, who went on to obtain a 750 on the SAT II Biology. I also taught a class to homeschoolers using THE WAY LIFE WORKS (much cheaper) as the main text, but using many of the CD-ROM activites from ESSENTIAL BIOLOGY as class material. I especially liked the MendAliens for genetics problems! There are many useful activites, quizzes, and chapter tests, wonderful graphics. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand "essential" biology. ...
Benjamin Cummings :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Plant physiology :: Physiology :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Biology (General) :: Biology :: Eric J :: Essential Biology with Physiology

Evolutionary Analysis- Third Edition

5 stars (Makes evolutionary biology interesting) - Evolutionary biology can be extremely tedious for undergraduate students if one insists on teaching the more arcane debates as Fisher versus Shifting Balance. That might be good for a second course for future professionals, but if one starts with such stuff, students will lose all the interest in evolution they came with. Evolutionary Analysis is interesting, wel-informed and up to date, and is meant for general biologists. It cannot be used as a reference book for neo-darwinian debates, so the better. 1 stars (horrible) - Bought this one for Evolution class. It is a horrible excuse for a textbook. Do not buy this book unless it is for a middle school student. If the authors think this book has been written for an advanced audience, then I would suggest that anyone interested in learning evolution not attend University of Washington. 4 stars (Captives of the paradigm) - Although not a student in a course, I found perusing this (upgraded, new edition)text to be interesting and intriguing, despite being a severe Darwin critic. Well illustrated with clear expositions of technical pop gen. However, if Little Red Riding Hood were an Amazon reviewer the text would read, 'What nice teeth you have...". Sociobiological thinkings is now being mainstreamed. One of the puzzles of modern culture is the obtuseness of the technical elite, especially Darwinists. From whence did they get their rigid mentality, and total inability to think critically on evolution? It's no mystery if you look at the textbooks used to train these elites, as here. These are the doctors, biologists and others who, for the trouble of taking a close look at evolutionary theory, will end with the false assumptions of the Synthesis engraved on their eductional memory modules. The issue can be insidious with the study of population genetics, nicely done here in its own way. But it is a subject where technical math deludes people into thinking it constitute...
Prentice Hall :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Research :: Organic Evolution :: Life Sciences - Evolution :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: General :: E :: Evolutionary Analysis- Third Edition

Biology - A Guide to the Natural World 3rd Edition

5 stars (Biology -- A Guide to the Natural World) - I found this book to much easier to read and understand from all the previous textbooks assigned to biology courses. The graphics and tables and examples are completely explained. The format asks questions and answers them in a simple, easily understandable text -- not like the mumbo jumbo that a person would have to read over and over to finally understand its meaning. ...
Prentice Hall :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Biology (General) :: Biology :: David Krogh :: :: Biology - A Guide to the Natural World (3rd Edition)

Biological Science 2nd Edition

1 stars (University Lvl Bio Student's Opinion) - This is the worst bio book I have read. I've had at least 3 different biology courses with their respective books, but this one was so bad I felt obligated to warn others. I don't bother with these reviews but in this case the book "earned" it. The pros: I am at length impressed at Freeman's attempt to draw an inquisitive experimental nature into a bio book. He talks about many interesting scientific experiments and really introduces you to the scientific method. His diagrams while usually not as detailed as other biology books are sufficient. The cons: What Dr. Freeman attempts in his book forces him to leave out a lot of basic bio. A multitude of biology terms are just missing, as if they never existed. What's worse is that this terminology is actually required on bio tests. I had to refer extensively to my professor's notes and look up the missing terms through the web to make the grade. Unfortunately Dr. Freeman is not a very clear writer either, at least in this volume. He talks about many important topics but with his writing style, I have actually mentally missed many important points. He just doesn't emphasize what you need to know in basic biology. There are many decent biology books that have the organization you need to sort through the unimportant and the important material but Freeman's somewhat conversational style muddles his book. Furthermore, many of his multiple choice practice problems in the text have incorrect solutions in the back of the book. In fact for some odd reason the solutions in the back of the book cover all the volumes. I felt he should have instead devoted the answers to the correct solution and the reasoning behind the solution instead of putting up these additional answers to volumes I don't have and don't intend to purchase. The index and the glossary do the same thing; they pull material from all volumes. It would have benefitted his book if he used that extra sp...
Prentice Hall :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Biology :: Scott Freeman :: :: Biological Science (2nd Edition)

Biology 7th Edition

5 stars (good vendor) - The book was expensive, but a better price than new for sure. It came in the quality as advertised. I recommend this vendor. 5 stars (A great biology primer) - I love the Biology book by Campbell and Reece subtitled 'Concepts & Connections', so I thought I would check out this edition also. I first studied biology nearly twenty-five years ago with a huge and lovely biology book written by an author whose name unfortunately escapes me. I loved that book, and have always judged future biology texts against that one; this one measures up well against my memory of that text. After an interesting introduction, which talks about discovery-based science in addition to theoretical/hypothesis science with interesting examples. The introduction, 'Exploring Life', leads right into the first unit, which deals with the basic chemistry needed to understand the processes of life. Water, Carbon and molecular chemistry at a basic level are explained, as these are the building-blocks of life on earth from a chemical standpoint. The book continues on an upward progression from here. The next unit is on the cell, introducing both single-celled organisms as well as how cells work in both plants and animals. Photosynthesis is explained in good detail. The unit following deals with genetics, a very 'in the news' area of biology today. This looks at genetics in plants (the early experiments of Mendel are explained here), animals, bacteria and viruses, as well as the more complex structures of DNA. The unit on evolution looks both at plant and animal evolution, as well as the way evolutionary ideas can influence the way species develop in the modern, changing world. The subsequent units look at biological diversity, the plant kingdom, and the animal kingdom. The final unit on ecology brings all things together in one eco-system in which plants, animals and environment influence each other and co-exist. In this book, each chapter focuses on only a f...
Benjamin Cummings :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Jane B Reece :: Neil A Campbell :: :: Biology (7th Edition)

Biology - The Unity and Diversity of Life with CD-ROM and InfoTrac

2 stars (repetitive) - This book is useful and contains a lot of good information, but could have been half as thick as it is. Everything is summarized more than once, in side-bars and at the ends of chapters, and key points are even repeated more than once in the text itself. The result is patchy text that is difficult to navigate and next to impossible to find information quickly in. 1 stars (Biological Detour) - This is the book I had in my college biology course. I find this book to be quite inconsistent. While it has it's bright spots and explains some things very well, it is one of those books where you end up having to hunt for the information. Result? You spend a great deal of time deciphering the book which has the information strewn everywhere in a fashion that's not entirely organized. Not to mention the fact that it stops dead cold in the middle of explaining a concept in order to go into great detail about another related concept. Then suddenly it jolts the reader back to what it was talking about beforehand. A good and elementary example of this is in chapter 2 where they discuss hydrogen bonding. It veers off and on from what the topic is supposed to be. It would be more helpful to cut to the chase and leave the lengthly prose out of the book. As another reviewer pointed out, the fact that the book has so many different authors is just ASKING for the final product to be inconsistent. This book is not worth the 120 dollars they expect you to pay for it. 1 stars (Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life) - This book is far too wordy and repetitive and could have been half as thick. It weights over 4 pounds and is very heavy to carry around. Very often the point of a sentence is lost in the verbiage. Some basic explanations are repeated several times, whilst many more important things are left unexplained. Many of the pictures appear to have been chosen because they are 'cool' rather than relevant to the text and just sidetrack the reader. Some of the...
Brooks Cole :: Science & Biology :: Biology :: Life Sciences :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Ralph Taggart :: Cecie Starr :: :: Biology - The Unity and Diversity of Life (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac)

Microbiology- An Introduction- Eighth Edition

4 stars (Microbiology an introduction) - Delivered effectively and quickly. Only the edges were a little dammaged and I don't remember reading about that. Otherwise I am very well satisfied 2 stars (not much help) - As another reviewer stated, subjects were scattered all over book. Constant referrals to other chapters and sections. If you choose to do the review questions in back of book, you won't find the answers unless you go on-line, very annoying as I don't like to study in front of a computer. Lastly in other science textbooks there are often mid-chapter review questions to help you learn - this had none of that. Book was useless, learned more from instructor's outlines. 2 stars (Caution: This is not the Textbook!) - Be aware that this is NOT the textbook, it is the Study Guide! Although it may be useful for you (we decided to keep it anyway), it isn't what the title says. ...
Benjamin Cummings :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Microbiology (General) :: Life Sciences - Biology - Microbiology :: Christine L Case :: Berdell R Funke :: :: Microbiology- An Introduction- Eighth Edition

Biology- Sixth Edition

4 stars (satisfactory) - i ordered it from the new section and the book, when i received it, had some pages highlighted and the cd that came with the book was already opened. 4 stars (a bit mislead) - fast delivery was great, but misleading with the amount of cover damage and highlighted text--in worse shape than i understood. 5 stars (Excellent) - I used the 5th edition of this book, but I've seen the 6th edition, and think the improvements (especially in terms of the diagrams and additions to the accompanying CD) are worth the upgrade. This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in biology. It's the gold standard for a reason. Clear writing, excellent diagrams and pictures, and with an appropriate amount of depth for a college intro-biology course or for AP Bio. Don't forget to use the CD as a resource, since it makes complicated processes like the Krebs cycle a lot easier to understand. An animation is worth a thousand pictures. ...
Benjamin Cummings :: Science & Biology :: Study & Teaching :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Biology :: Jane B Reece :: Neil A Campbell :: :: Biology- Sixth Edition

Biology

5 stars (The best biology book ever) - I absolutely love this book. The explanations are thorough and understandable and the pictures and diagrams cannot be beat. Truly a great read. The book goes into enough detail, but not too much that you get confused. Thank you Purdue bio department for choosing this book!! Highly recommended! 5 stars (Excellent book for College Biology ) - I utilized this book for my college biology classes. It was very complete and had great details on photosynthesis, Krebs cycle, glycolysis. I even liked the chapters on animal structure and function, quite interesting. However, the chapter on genetics was the hardest to read. I had to re-read pages over again to understand what Raven was trying to teach. If you want to know what is the best study guides for college biology to study from, get the following by Patrick Leonardi-- The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology : Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations (Vol 1) Topics: Organziation of Living Things and Chemistry of Life, Structure and Function of the Cell and Energy Pathways, Reproduction and Heredity, Genetics. The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology : Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations (Vol 2) Topics: Evolution, Ecology, Kingdom Bacteria, Kingdom Protista, Kingdom Fungi, Viruses, Plant Form and Function The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology : Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations (Vol 3) Topics: Kingdom Animalia, Organization of the Animal Body, Animal Form and Function, Animal Reproduction, Development and Behavior. The last three study guides prepared me for the kind of questions that were asked on my college exams. This helped me cut a lot of time in my studying because now I new what to focus on. Raven's book is a also a must buy. ...
McGraw-Hill Science-Engineering-Math :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Jonathon Losos :: Susan Singer :: George B Johnson :: Peter H Raven :: :: Biology

Biology- Concepts and Connections 4th Edition

4 stars (Good Book For Class) - This book will definitely get the job done. I just needed a book for my class and this works out great. It was in good condition and didn't have any highlighting marks in it. 5 stars (New Fifth Edition Brings Everything Up To Date) - This new Fifth Edition of an old standby. The book retains it's aim of engaging students from a wide variety of majors in the wonders of the living world. It relates the basic concepts of biology to concepts in every day life, to evolution, and to the process of science. The basic upgrades in this edition include: Greater emphasis on cells as the structural and functional units of life. Incorporates recent advances in the field of cellular reproduction, genetics and cloning. the concepts of evolution have been extensively reorganized and updated. This includes a major upgrading in the area of the evolution of biological diversity. the sections on animals and plants has been redone with a greater emphasis on those forms that the student sees in their everyday life. the ecology area has been updted with current ecological data and fresh photos. The text has been extensively reviewed to ensure that the new edition retains the reputation for accuracy that has become a hallmark of this book. 5 stars (Excellent Biology Text) - Biology Concepts and Connections, is an excellent text on life science. This book presents information in a clear and logical way. At the end of each section, there is a question box, which allows the reader to check their understanding of the information presented. It is also very helpful that answers are included for all the questions in the book. The book is broken into thirty-eight sections, which cover a wide variety of topics, such as cell biology, evolution, plant biology/botany, animal anatomy/life function, and much more. The CD-Rom which comes with this book is great for reviewing the material presented. I used this book in my honor's biology class and received an A. I...
Benjamin Cummings :: Science & Biology :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: Biology :: Martha R Taylor :: Lawrence G Mitchell :: Jane B Reece :: Ne :: Biology- Concepts and Connections (4th Edition)

Life- The Science of Biology- 7th Edition Book Only

5 stars (I'm in Biology heaven) - Ah, the holy grail of textbooks: To find a textbook that is completely clear, explains all aspects of the subject, lets you understand rather than just memorize so you can think independently on the subject and actually enjoyable to read. Textbooks like those are incredibly rare and they are worth their weight in gold once you find them. Looks like we found one for biology. 2 stars (Poor Organization) - I decided to buy this book instead of borrowing from the library because of the pretty colorful pictures it has. However, I regret spending $100 on this book because the text is poorly orgnanized. Although some chapters are written well, you will see content are scrambled within some chapters making it hard to take notes. There are also errors like they mentioned that Th cell help cellular response, but they ever tell you how. The activation gate and inactivation gate mentioned in the neuron chapters are confusing. The mentioned it on the text, but they don't show it on the pictures. I need to admit that their animation, tutorial in their web site are awesome. I would recommed the campbell book instead 5 stars (Life Review) - THIS BOOK HAS AMAZINGLY USEFUL DIAGRAMS AND FIGURES THAT HELP THE READER VISUALIZE AND UNDERSTAND THE SUBJECT. ...
Sinauer Associates and W H Freeman :: Science & Biology :: Biology :: Life Sciences :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Life Sciences - Biology - General :: General :: Biology :: Gordon H Orians :: Craig :: Life- The Science of Biology- 7th Edition (Book Only)