Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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109 of 113 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive depth of explanation, August 1, 2005
I'm working through an earlier edition of this book (because it was used and cheap) and am very impressed by it. There are a lot of excellent introductory science textbooks, but what distinguishes this one in my mind is the author's relentless effort to deepen his explanations. You don't just learn that some reaction occurs in the cell. You learn why it occurs, what its antecedents are, what their antecedents are, how feedback reactions in the cell stimulate or inhibit the reaction, and what the mechanisms of action are. At each point where the reader may be thinking, "That's interesting, but why does that happen?", all he need do is read on and very likely find that Campbell will ask, and answer, his question.
Explanation must always come to a stop. But Campbell pushes his explanations out to the frontiers of our knowledge. His explanations stop not where he thinks the student is too unsophisticated to continue, but where either there is no more known, or where it would be impossible to say more and still cover the whole subject of biology in one book.
This approach shows great respect for the student. It treats the student as an intelligent person who is interested, motivated, and able to learn. It is the standard approach for more advanced texts, but it's not always found in introductory books. It's a considerable achievement to be able to write about a highly technical subject this deeply and this thoroughly, and still put it in terms that the beginning student can understand.
The book is also very well produced. There are excellent illustrations, a useful glossary, an index, and many photo-micrographs. Even in the illustrations, Campbell treats the reader as a serious student - providing thorough explanations and labeling each microscope photo to indicate how it was made (light, scanning electrons, transmissive electrons). I can't say what's on the CD ROM because I haven't seen it. But if it's as good as the rest of the visual material, it will be very good indeed.
I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the science of Biology.
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44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The standard by which biology majors' texts are gauged, March 21, 2006
Campbell's Biology has been the standard biology text for majors for many years. Though there are many good competitors, this is the one that consistently seems to rise to the top.
The breadth of coverage is good overall, with particular strengths in cell, molecular, and physiology sections of the text. It's the one we chose to use in our year-long intro to biology majors course.
Not everything is roses, however. For one thing, compared to other sections of the text the section on animal diversity is brief (perhaps unavoidably so)...after all, no book can be all things to all people. The section on ecology is also a bit light compared to other sections of the text. That's not surprising, since many intro courses these days don't touch much on ecology...more's the pitty.
The two biggest challenges associated with this book are it's mass, and massive price tag (not unique among textbooks today). I have a difficult time sitting in a reading chair and getting into a comfortable position with this block of paper on my lap or in my hands. It is, as mentioned in at least one other review, just too heavy. The other challenge is the cost. That's an issue with many textbooks today. They are just so expensive that you almost need to take out a loan just to get your books.
Is there a way to get this book in an e-version, so I could load it onto a notebook computer? At least that way the book would be in a computer that would probably weigh less...
There are pros and cons. The pros seem to outweigh the cons for the moment.
One concern I have for the future of this text is that Campbell, the senior author, passed away recently. We'll have to wait and see if subsequent editions are able to maintain the scope and quality of coverage that this and previous editions were able to manage.
5 stars for quality, minus one for weight and cost. 4 stars.
Alan Holyoak (Biol Prof)
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great biology primer, August 30, 2005
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 few key concepts. There are features such as Concept Head and Concept Check to keep the student focused upon real-life examples. Headers reinforce the broader topics while modules give key concepts within each broad topic. Diagrams are arranged with numbered steps to help understanding, and there are frequent references to website additions. Key questions are asked at each conceptual point. Exploring Figures bring things back to the big-picture view. There are a number of supplements designed to help the student and instructor engage the material more fully. I particularly liked the interviews with scientists and researchers, which puts a more human face to the elements of the book. The book is very colourful, both in text copy and in pictures.
This is a very good book, with lots of information - it is also a flexible book, and certain portions can be omitted in a syllabus without diminishing the overall text. Like the other book by Campbell and Reece, with this book I also find myself constantly glancing through the chapters and reading the interesting essays and connection modules between my tutoring appointments. That's the mark of a good textbook.
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