Biology [Hardcover]

Peter H. Raven (Author), Raven & Johnson (Author), George B. Johnson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0697225704 | ISBN-13: 978-0697225702 | Publication Date: January 1996 | Edition: 4

This introduction to the study of biology uses a diversity approach and evolutionary theme to teach the basic principles of the subject. Several chapters have been completely revised and new photographs and illustrations have been included.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter H. Raven, Ph.D., is director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Engelmann professor of botany at Washington University at St. Louis. He oversees the garden's internationally recognized research program in tropical botany--one of the world's most active in the study and conservation of imperiled tropical habitats. Raven's botanical research and work in the area of tropical conservation have earned him numerous honors and awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship. He has written 17 textbooks and more than 400 articles, and he is a member of th National Academy of Science and the National Research Council.

George B. Johnson, Ph.D., is a professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis and a professor of genetics at the university's School of Medicine. He is a prolific author of life science texts and curriculum products in a variety of media. New to his list of works are the Explorations of Human Biology CD-ROM and the textbook Human Biology, both offered by Wm. C. Brown Publishers. Johnson is acknowledged as an authority on population genetics and evolution variability, and he has published more than 50 research papers dealing with these and related topics. Visitors to the St. Louis Zoo can appreciate Johnson's work in the Living World, the educational center of which he is the founding director. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1350 pages
• Publisher: William C Brown Pub; 4 edition (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0697225704
• ISBN-13: 978-0697225702
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.2 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,018,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The finest majors biology book I've seen in a long time, March 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Biology (Hardcover)

In short, this text is the single most authoritative source of information for general biological science I have seen in a long time. The most unique thing about the book is the way the material is presented: In modular units. The text and images are in 2 or 4 page spreads, which leads to better retention of material, and less "hunting" for the images to which the textual material refers. Students will like the straightforward presentation of the facts and ease of use of this text. In particular, I favored the way the authors take a strong evolutionary perspective to explain the science of biology. In addition, the coverage of DNA and RNA, BEFORE covering transcription and translation, makes sense: some books do not do this, leading to confusion for the more "average" student.The images and writing style are fabulous. In particular, I found the CD ROM that comes with the book to be the single finest addition I have ever seen - far outdistancing the CD typically packaged with most books.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Complete and very good textbook!, August 14, 2004

By 

Mary S. (Pittsburg, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biology (Hardcover)

I used this book for my college biology I and II classes. My favorite part of the book was animal structure and function. Although the writing in this book is on a pretty high level, nothing was left out--very complete. Sometimes it was hard to understand the chapters on genetics. Then again genetics is a hard topic. I used additional sources to clarify on what I learned in Raven's book.

I used AP Biology by Beck. This book was a helpful study guide. This was easy to comprehend. Made biology easier to learn.

However, what really did it for me was Patrick Leonardi's:
The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations
This study guide comes in 3 volumes, make sure to get all three if you take biology I and II. If you are only taking Biology I, you can probably get away with only getting volume 1 and 2. These study guides had very good questions on every topic that is tested on in college biology. It was organized into specific sections, making it very helpful for exam preparation. It was so complete that it had the kind of questions that were asked on my exams. Don't go blind into an exam. These books are very helpful.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of those books you take with you on a deserted island, June 24, 2001

By 

William F Binder (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biology (Paperback)

.....or if you had to travel back in time. I had this for my textbook in Biology back in 1987 and even then, .... well before the human genome was anywhere near being charted, let alone completed, this was a spectacular acomplishment. This book isn't riveting like say Druyan and Sagan's SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESOTRS is, but it is as good as any biology textbook can possibly be. It has EVERYTHING you could possibly want to know about biology; from modern cell theory to ecology. All you have to do is look this over and you'll see why I highly recommend it. Does any other bio textbook even compare?