Customer Reviews

Biology, 6th Edition

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved this textbook. Imagine that, the words "love" and "textbook" in the same sentence. This is my first college Biology text so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I feel I did very well in my class not only because I love biology, but because this textbook explained everything in such an interesting and lucid way. The pictures and diagrams are wonderful and incredibly helpful. To give a random example, the chapters on cell mitosis and meiosis. This can be a potentially difficult subject if you're expected to memorize the various stages, and what the chromosomes are doing and when, but this book gives very helpful and colorful diagrams and light micrographs of each stage. The authors really understand the importance of visual learning in conjunction with reading.

Speaking of the authors, I was pleasantly surprised that the writing had a hint of personality, and didn't have the dreaded "textbook dry" monotone. It didn't feel as if robots wrote the book, as in some textbooks. I noticed they reinforced important core concepts throughout to drum it into the students head, like the the connection between "form and function", or how the size and shape of, for example an enzyme, is really it's most important characteristic.

I bought this book new and it came with a cd-rom, that for me, put my grades over the top. I'm not sure I would have done as well without this cd. In it are all sorts of quizzes and tests, a complete on-line version of the book, various links to helpful internet sites, and which I used the most, animations and voice commentary of each chapter. Many people are visual learners, and sometimes they get a much deeper understand of something when they see it in action.

I will not be selling this textbook back to the college after I'm done with it, this is a keeper. I have no complaints about it.

Okay, maybe this is not light summer reading, but it is a fascinating overview of the subject of biology. The book is very logically organized, moving from the atomic level to the macrobiological level of ecology. I read this book last summer because I really wanted to refresh my knowledge of biology, a subject I studied in college in the mid 1970s. I now feel that I have a much greater appreciation of the intricacy and depth of life, in all its many fascets.

I used this book this past summer in order to place out of College Bio I and II through a CLEP exam. Through independent study from this book and its companion CD I was able to place out in the 97th Percentile.

There is a reason why this book is still continued to be used today in classrooms as it is on its sixth edition. The authors use of layout in the book is well thought out and organized. His vast use of pictures, graphs, and tables streamline with the text of the book. In addition, the companion CD and web site provide the reader with an even greater study guide-- using interactive flash programs and video to further explain biological processes.

Further, in addition to the basic Biology taught in classrooms, this book goes one step further and explains some advancing fields in the Biology Profession. For example, chapter 20 covers the use of computers in analyzing biological data and gives prime examples from the current Human Genome Project. Further, every section of this book covers an interview with a specific individual in that profession. Such, if one is not aware of what exact field one wish's to pursue, interviews that cover some of the daily activities of these individuals are provided.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is seriously interested in Biology.

I used this book this past summer in order to place out of College Bio I and II through a CLEP exam. Through independent study from this book and its companion CD I was able to place out in the 97th Percentile.

There is a reason why this book is still continued to be used today in classrooms as it is on its sixth edition. The authors use of layout in the book is well thought out and organized. His vast use of pictures, graphs, and tables streamline with the text of the book. In addition, the companion CD and web site provide the reader with an even greater study guide-- using interactive flash programs and video to further explain biological processes.

Further, in addition to the basic Biology taught in classrooms, this book goes one step further and explains some advancing fields in the Biology Profession. For example, chapter 20 covers the use of computers in analyzing biological data and gives prime examples from the current Human Genome Project. Further, every section of this book covers an interview with a specific individual in that profession. Such, if one is not aware of what exact field one wish's to pursue, interviews that cover some of the daily activities of these individuals are provided.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is seriously interested in Biology.

I have nearly completed a year of biology with this book. In general it is well written and comprehensive. There are errors here and there; a few terms which appear in the glossary are not in the index, for example. It's rather distressing when all I can find is the glossary entry for a term. In a book that's 1200+ pages and on a topic this huge and complex, a properly cross-referenced index is an absolute essential.

The interviews at the beginning of each unit are worthwhile, if only to give one an idea of biology career possibilities. It's interesting that one of the people interviewed is Dr. Nancy Hopkins of MIT, the same scientist who stomped out in a huff during Dr. Summers' talk at Harvard because of a speculative remark about women and science. Her excuse was that his ideas "nauseated" her. Is this a scientist we should all emulate?

The real weakness in this book is the CD-ROM, which lists comprehensive resources such as animations and tutorials on the book material. Unfortunately, many of these are simply links to the publisher's web page, which requires registration and a 12-month limited access password. After 12 months you need to purchase access by the year, similar to subscribing to a magazine.

In this day and age, a CD-ROM is plenty big enough to store tons of animations, tutorials, documents, html, etc.; clearly the publisher is trying to make a quick buck off the students. Having already spent upwards of $120 for the text and study guide, I am reluctant to sink even more money into this publisher. What's more, other textbook publishers such as Pearson/Prentice Hall provide splendid supplemental websites that are freely accessible.

I wrote Benjamin Cummings a letter about this but did not receive a reply. My advice, therefore, is to buy this book used if possible and do like me and complain vociferously to the publisher to discourage this kind of shoddy practice in the future.

I was studying for the National Medical Assessment Test in my country and i used this book to review my biology. Note, however that my pre-med was a humanities degree and economics. So, I really needed to bone up on my biology. I was intimidated by the size of this book and was reluctant to purchase it but after reading so many reviews i relented.

And i was very happy i did so. I just couldn't put this book down. It was thick and the letters were so small but it was also accessible and comprehensive while providing in-depth information. Biology really comes to life with this book. Everything is put into context and ideas truly build up on one another. Unlike other biology books I've read, other branches of science (e.g. chemistry & physics) are introduced to show how all of science are indeed connected to facilitate a deeper understanding of science itself and not just biology. It even explained many ideas in organic chemistry more clearly and succintly than the intro to org chem book i used.

Some have commented that this book is too thick and i have to disagree. This is not a reference book (it could be a good one i think) but an introduction. As an introductory text it has to lay a solid foundation in understanding the basics innerworkings of biology and how all of it is connected to other sciences. This it does well. I have found that the book usually only uses one short paragraph to introduce one organ/organelle/cell/a step in a chemical cycle/chemical/etc. to describe it, what affects it, and its functions. I do not think the authors could've done any better. People who want a shorter text i think really want a reference book or a bio book that just lists down facts with little or no connections/explanations.

I used this book in college when I chose to take the real, hard-core 2-semester Biology course as an elective. (I am a Physics major and I do NOT like Biology.)

At the time, I found it readable, although it seemed full of information. Without a professor lecturing, I probably could not have picked out the "wheat" from the "chaff" in this book. That's where my comment in the title comes from. This is a heavy book!

Now I teach high school science. I am in a really small, rural school, so I teach everything, grades 7-12. Obviously, that includes Biology, Advanced Biology, and Anatomy. As I already said, I don't like Biology. Furthermore, the textbooks I have available at my school are so error-filled and ideologically driven that I've chosen not to use them and write my own material instead.

To do this, as someone who doesn't like Biology, I need an accurate, reliable source of information. This book is excellent for that. I've taught Biology long enough now to be able to pick out what I need in high school and toss the rest. This book is accurate, reliable, and clear. Furthermore, the pictures are excellent.

However, in any book or writing, it is important to be brief and to the point. I would never choose this book for even an advanced course. It is too full of information. I suppose Campbell is trying to appeal to a broad market: chemistry focus, genetics focus, ecological focus, or some other focus. However, this creates a big book. Maybe this is appropriate at the college level, and this is certainly a college book, not high school, but after my experience both as a student and as a teacher, I think Campbell needs to find a focus.

In short, brief summary: it is not appropriate as a textbook, particularly in high school, but it is an excellent reference book for teachers at all levels.

After living with this book for 2 semesters, it really grew on me. It is very detailed, very well written, and just the right amount of pictures and graphs to explain more difficult concepts. This book will serve me well for the years to come, well beyond graduate school, as a source of information. Also, my teacher told me, most of the questions on the subject GRE in biology are from this book!

Having used the 4th, 5th, and 6th editions, the 6th edition is obviously the best; new, clear illustrations, especially on the section on plant growth, have been updated, while updates on subject matter can be found scattered throughout the text. The reading, for the most part, is interesting, until one reaches chapters exceeding 40 pages--the material sometimes seems excessive and dry. Additionally, the text hasn't changed significantly from the 5th edition and the questions at the end of the chapters remain the same--thus, for my intro class, the 5th edition would have been more than suitable and I could have saved quite a bit of money.
I do not recommend getting the entire biology package; the study guide book is somewhat helpful, but there is an outline following the chapters in the textbook, anyhow. The second book in the package is an illustration book, in which the reader labels various parts of the pictures(practically useless). Finally, the cd is not nearly as good the one found in the 5th edition, for it requires one to register online for a limited membership(don't bother unless you have broadband). Save money and just get the textbook. The study guide and questions in the textbook are more than sufficient!

This book is very complete. I was assigned this book in my college biology I and II classes. It was a good book for helping me learn the necessary details for the class. The book went over such topics as cell structure and function, plant and animal structure and function, photosynthesis, Calvin Cycle, Electron transport system etc. The book is an excellent resource. I also found the following to be right on the mark for preparing me for my college exams. I got them on amazon.com, too. These study guides are.
The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations Vol 1 is isbn 1933023007. Vol 2 is isbn 1933023015, and Vol 3 is isbn 1933023023. These study guides make my college biology I and II classes much easier because they prepared me for the type of questions to get ready for. This textbook and these study guides are well worth it.