Brock Biology Of Microorganisms 11th EDITION [Hardcover]

John M.;Martinko, John;Madigan, Michael Madigan Michael M.;Martinko (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1088 pages
• Publisher: Lebanon, Indiana, U.S.A.: Prentice Hall; 11 edition (2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131443291
• ISBN-13: 978-0131443297
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Grad Student's Perspective, July 12, 2006

By 

Alex Berezow (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brock Biology Of Microorganisms 11th EDITION (Hardcover)

This is hands down the best general microbiology textbook on the market. Below, I'll explain why. (And I will also defend the book against some of the more ridiculous comments):

1) Let's be honest. Some students who read textbooks aren't too bright or motivated. So you should completely ignore ANYBODY who says the book was worthless. He/She was probably frustrated with the class they were in, and blamed the prof, their TA, the book, and life in general for getting a bad grade or having a bad time. Common sense tells us that a book that has gone through 11 editions is way above average. Most textbooks don't make it past the 1st or 2nd ed.

2) This book is not meant to delve into excruciating detail. While the book does contatin a LOT of detail on some topics, most aren't that detailed. The reason is because it's an introductory text. If you want more information, then buy a book that focuses on that one area. So, criticisms that say the book was "too general" are silly.

3) The book does a great job of overviewing every possible topic under the sun related to microbiology. The book covers basic cell biology, foundations of microbiology, molecular biology, diversity, metabolism, immunology, pathogenesis, disease, and even a little biotechnology.

4) It's true that the book could be organized a little better. In particular, it's frustrating to have to flip back and forth between chapters on metabolic diversity and prokaryotic diversity. However, I can't really suggest a better way to do it.

5) As an undergrad, I used this book in two different courses, and enjoyed it both times. As a grad student, I still find myself referring back to it on occasion.

In summary, if you're looking for a good introductory text to microbiology, you're not going to find anything better than this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, September 19, 2009

By 

K. Vaughn "book entrepreneur" (Tigertown, LA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brock Biology Of Microorganisms 11th EDITION (Hardcover)

This book works just as well as the 12th edition. Aside from some slight rearrangements and the addition of some pictures, there's not much of a dfference.

4.0 out of 5 stars Brock Biology of Microorganisms, February 12, 2011

By 

grkuser - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brock Biology Of Microorganisms 11th EDITION (Hardcover)

The book is very detailed in terms of explaining processes and ideas/concepts. It's one of the books I used for research purposes