Essential Cell Biology [Hardcover]

Bruce Alberts (Author), Dennis Bray (Author), Karen Hopkin (Author), Alexander Johnson (Author), Julian Lewis (Author), Martin Raff (Author), Keith Roberts (Author), Peter Walter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0815341296 | ISBN-13: 978-0815341291 | Edition: 3

Essential Cell Biology provides an accessible introduction to the fundamental concepts of cell biology. Its lively writing and exceptional illustrations make it the ideal textbook for a first course in cell and molecular biology. The text and figures are easy-to-follow, accurate, clear, and engaging for the introductory student. Molecular detail has been kept to a minimum in order to provide the reader with a cohesive, conceptual framework of the basic science that underlies our current understanding of biology.

The Third Edition is thoroughly updated scientifically, yet maintains the academic level and size of the previous edition. The book is accompanied by a Media DVD-ROM with over 130 animations and videos, all the figures from the book, and a new self-test quizzing feature for students.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'College and university professors who have used the previous editions of ECB will be pleased with the new edition.  The format and organization are retained but have been infused with fresh images and updated material.  It’s as if a trusted old friend has come back from an extended vacation with a bright new look and a refreshed attitude.  The reader is at once comfortable with and excited by the changes. New users of the textbook will find it accessible and approachable at the professorial and student levels….I highly recommend it to all CBE-Life Sciences Education readers who are also classroom educators.'
CBE-Life Sciences Education, Fall 2009

'This attractive, accessible, visually oriented text covers the fundamentals of cell biology required to understand biomedical and broader issues that affect students' lives.'
SciTech Book News, August 2009

Praise of the Second Edition:

'This book fills a critical niche in the pedagogical process of introducing cell biology and does an excellent job in reaching its objective.'
The Quarterly Review of Biology, Volume 79

'...an excellent example of designing a textbook for undergraduates and non-biology majors. It is clear, well illustrated, conversational in tone and enjoyable to read and browse through.'
E-Streams

'The second edition retains all the beauty of the first, and it serves as an editorial model -- a guide that shows us how serious authors prepare a new version of a serious book. ...What makes for a great science education is not the amassing of facts but the understanding of concepts, processes and syntheses, and the realization that all our information about nature must be subject to testing and revision. That is the kind of educational experience that students can acquire from the second edition of Essential Cell Biology.'
The Textbook Letter

About the Author

Bruce Alberts received his PhD from Harvard University and is Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the editor-in-chief of Science magazine. For 12 years he served as President of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1993-2005).

Dennis Bray received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is currently an active emeritus professor at University of Cambridge. In 2006 he was awarded the Microsoft European Science Award.

Karen Hopkin received her PhD in biochemistry from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is a science writer in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Alexander Johnson received his PhD from Harvard University and is Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Director of the Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetics, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program at the University of California, San Francisco.

Julian Lewis received his DPhil from the University of Oxford and is a Principal Scientist at the London Research Institute of Cancer Research UK.

Martin Raff received his MD from McGill University and is at the Medical Research Council Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and Cell Biology Unit and in the Biology Department at University College London.

Keith Roberts received his PhD from the University of Cambridge and is Emeritus Fellow at the John Innes Centre, Norwich.

Peter Walter received his PhD from The Rockefeller University in New York and is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 860 pages
• Publisher: Garland Science; 3 edition (March 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815341296
• ISBN-13: 978-0815341291
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 1.3 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Cell Biology
  • #1 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology
  • #7 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Microbiology

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cell Biology's little brother May 18, 2010

By Mihai Dricu

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was desperately looking for a textbook to cover the Biochemistry and Cell Biology for the GRE Subject Test i am preparing for.

Everyone was praising Alberts' Cell Biology but i found the information a bit advanced.
Cell Biology is a FANTASTIC textbook but it requires prior background on Cell Biology to fully appreciate it and i had none.

Then i found Essential Cell Biology. By the same author, it partners with others in bringing Cell Biology to a wider audience. Reading it is a breeze, it makes you wonder why Cell Biology is considered such a hard topic!
Explanations are straight forward and the movies that come with the DVD are a life saver.

You can easily read and assimilate 10 pages an hour and you don't even know when the time passes.
The only chapters that require more time are "How cells obtain energy from food" and "Electron transport in mitochondria". But this is because of the chemical reactions implied by processes such as citric acid and glycolysis.

Don't get fooled! Essential Cell Biology covers ALL chapters that his big brother Cell Biology includes. It only does it in a simpler and wiser manner.

If you want to get acquainted with Cell Biology this is the book for you!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good user friendly book!! September 29, 2009

By S. Noel

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Pro: This textbook is very user friendly and loaded with diagrams that visually demonstrate the highlights of each chapter.

Con: For an advanced level cell biology class this book does NOT provide detailed information. It is simply an overview of cellular biology.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite textbook this semester April 11, 2010

By kimH

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the best undergrad textbook I've ever read. It's a pleasure to read (and Cell Bio is not exactly my favorite course) and all of the sections I was assigned to read explained their topics very well. I don't think I will even sell it back to the bookstore when the semester is over. They also put all of the answers in the back of the book. Some textbooks don't, which I hate. The DVD that comes with the txtbk is OK. It has movie clips that are OK and end of chapter quizzes that are helpful for studying but you can't paste any of the info into a word processer to review later or incorporate into flash cards.