Biology [Hardcover]

Peter Raven (Author), George Johnson (Author), Susan Singer (Author), Jonathan Losos (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0072921641 | ISBN-13: 978-0072921649 | Publication Date: January 8, 2004 | Edition: 7

BIOLOGY is an authoritative majors textbook with evolution as a unifying theme. In revising the text, McGraw-Hill has consulted extensively with previous users, noted experts and professors in the field. It is distinguished from other texts by its strong emphasis on natural selection and the evolutionary process that explains biodiversity.

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.

Susan Singer is the Laurence McKinley Gould Professor of the Natural Sciences in teh dpartment of biology at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she has taught introductory biology, plant biology, genetics, plant development, and developmental genetics for 20 years. Her research interests are focused on the development and evolution of flowering plants. Singer has authored numberous scientific publications on plant development, contributed chapters to developmental biology texts, and is actively involved with teh education efforts of several professional societies. She received the American Society of Plant Biology's Excellence in Teaching Award, serves on teh National Academies Board on Science Education, and chaired the NRC study committee that produced America's Lab Report.

Jonathan Losos is a Monique and Philip Lehner Professor for the Study of Latin America in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Herpetology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. Losos's research has focused on studying patterns of adaptive ratiation and evolutionary diversification in lizards. The recipient of several awards including hte prestigious Theodosius Dobzhansky and David Starr Jordan Prizes for outstanding young evolutionary biologists, Losos has published more than 100 scientific articles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1238 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 7 edition (January 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072921641
• ISBN-13: 978-0072921649
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for College Biology, December 23, 2004

By 

Penelope C. (Washington, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biology (Hardcover)

I utilized this book for my college biology classes. It was very complete and had great details on photosynthesis, Krebs cycle, glycolysis. I even liked the chapters on animal structure and function, quite interesting. However, the chapter on genetics was the hardest to read. I had to re-read pages over again to understand what Raven was trying to teach. If you want to know what is the best study guides for college biology to study from, get the following by Patrick Leonardi--
The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations (Vol 1)
Topics: Organziation of Living Things and Chemistry of Life, Structure and Function of the Cell and Energy Pathways, Reproduction and Heredity, Genetics.

The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations (Vol 2)
Topics: Evolution, Ecology, Kingdom Bacteria, Kingdom Protista, Kingdom Fungi, Viruses, Plant Form and Function

The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations (Vol 3)
Topics: Kingdom Animalia, Organization of the Animal Body, Animal Form and Function, Animal Reproduction, Development and Behavior.

The last three study guides prepared me for the kind of questions that were asked on my college exams. This helped me cut a lot of time in my studying because now I new what to focus on. Raven's book is a also a must buy.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best biology book ever, August 4, 2005

By 

Michelle Pesce (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Biology (Hardcover)

I absolutely love this book. The explanations are thorough and understandable and the pictures and diagrams cannot be beat. Truly a great read. The book goes into enough detail, but not too much that you get confused. Thank you Purdue bio department for choosing this book!! Highly recommended!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars graphs are incredible, text is wordy, August 26, 2006

By 

M. Zhou - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Biology (Hardcover)

The graphs summarize lots of important information in a clear and easy to understand format.

Some part of the text is wordy, not very concise. It helps to develop the breadth and depth of the text but meanwhile it's quite distracting and sometimes confusing for grasping the key concepts.