Customer Reviews

Biochemistry (3rd Edition)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Biochemistry by Mathews and van Holde is one of the best texts for any biochemist's need. The authors discuss almost all of the subjects any biochemistry class ever comes across. The language presented throughout the text is simple, yet cover the fundamental concepts nicely. The questions and answers given at the end of each chapter are well prepared and extremely useful for test preparation. This text is suitable for both medical and pure science students. I would give two thumbs up for Dr. Mathews and van Holde and cannot wait to see the new edition coming up.

I am a biochemistry major at the university of the philippines. i have several biochem books on my shelf and i just recently purchased a copy of the 2000 edition (i also have the 2nd ed). the book just keeps getting better. the book really helps a lot especially when the class lecture corresponds with how the book presents the subject matter. as a biochem major, i'd say this is a pretty good way to present biochem. it makes it seem easy and fun to read. you look at the pictures and read the caption and you learn the idea in a flash.

This book isn't very good. The reading, I will grant, isn't too bad. Most of the time it's easy to follow, and sometimes it's confusing. However, the problem comes when you try to put it all to the test and do the problems at the end of the chapter. Not only does the book present problems that were not covered in the reading, but it doesn't explain the answers, either. It just gives them to you. I am forced to constantly ask a friend of mine if he knows how to get the answer they give, because the book gives no indication of how to arrive at it. It also withholds information; in one problem in chapter 5 the answer they give is only possible, ONLY possible, if chymotrypsin cleaves a protein at isoleucine (the book only gives leucine, not iso-). In the next problem, it is virtually the same thing, taking cleavage information and trying to put amino acids in the correct order. However, in this one, their answer insists that you NOT cleave at isoleucine. Otherwise you'd be wrong and wonder what you did. Of course, you'd get no explanation. If you have to get this book for a class, then fine. Good luck with the homework if you have to turn in the problems. But if you're getting it to further challenge yourself of your own accord, search around for some type of solutions manual first, because this book won't tell you how to get anything. It assumes you have a lot of background knowledge already, so I don't know where one reviewer got the notion that this is great for beginners...if you want a good book for beginners, seek out the Garrett & Grisham book. It simplifies biochemistry beyond belief compared to this book.

This book is unmatched in it's quality for introductory biochemistry. The detailed diagrams and explainations are easy to grasp and well put together. I would strongly recommend this book for any biochemists.

I have not seen the 2000 edition yet, but the previous edition is very elegantly written. Compare with some other biochemistry text, this book provides another view into biochemistry. Almost (if not all) all the chapters have a special topic after the chapter text, showing you how we can turn the dry text into useful experimental tools for solving life's problem, scientifically. These special topics also give us a view into the physical chemistry world, which has become more and more important at the time.

Mathew's Biochemistry is an excellent book to start this difficult subject! The easy diagrams and interesting notes just keeps you wanting to learn more...Read, read and read. If only it could have a more clinical focus it would be 100% perfect. Combine it with "Harper's Biochemistry" and you will soon run A+ on scores! To die for!

I have not seen the 1995 edition yet, but have the 1990 edition of Mathews and van Holde. For anyone interested in structural biology and especially protein structure, I think this book is probably the best place to get started. It seems to me to be an excellent text all-around.

The 3rd edition of this book is awful. The end of chapter problems require consulting other random chapters in the book and wiki. Every concept is introduced with examples instead of having a straightforward definition. The layout of this book is horrible. The pictures are ugly. Unimportant terms are bold as opposed to the important ones. I wish I could give this book a 0.
If you like being confused, then buy this. Otherwise, do yourself a big favor and buy the Lehringer book. If you need this book for class, then you must have an awful professor. A lot of the answers are wrong.

A very complete source for the basics of Biochem. A must read for the budding Biochemist. Dr Mathews was my professor for this course in college and has written a very complete introduction to the field.

It's difficult to review a book on a subject as biochemistry, when you're a student, and this is the only book I've read on the subject. This book is used by medical students at the Universty of Bergen, Norway, and as a student I find it very easy to read (if you have mind that biochemistry is not an easy subject). The illustrations and figures in the book are helpful, and often, you can get the essential in the text by only looking at the figures.