The First Steps in Seeing [Hardcover]

Robert W. Rodieck (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0878937579 | ISBN-13: 978-0878937578 | Publication Date: January 15, 1998 | Edition: 1st

This book describes how we see. It is about the eyes, how they capture an image and convert it to the neural messages that result in visual experience. The First Steps in Seeing has been written in a manner that is understandable to all. The number of technical terms has been restricted, and those that are used are illustrated with hundreds of full-colour pictures, icons and graphs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... a beautiful multidisciplinary tour through our current understanding of the visual system. " -- —Robert W. Nickells, Archives of Ophthalmology

"... he tackles all the physical and chemical problems involved in the early stages of vision with clarity and verve. -- —Michael F. Land, The Times Higher Education Supplement

Complex subjects, from biochemical pathways to the mathematical underpinnings of the relevant optics, chemistry & photometry, are elegantly explained. . . . -- —Helga Kolb, Nature Neuroscience

Product Details

• Hardcover: 562 pages
• Publisher: Sinauer Associates Inc; 1st edition (January 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878937579
• ISBN-13: 978-0878937578
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #545,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterful, lucid explanation of what the human eye does., December 14, 1998

By 

Robert W. Williams "aturing" (Memphis, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The First Steps in Seeing (Hardcover)

Whoever you are and whatever your line of work: if you are interested in how your eyes work, this book will fascinate you as much (or more) than the hottest bestseller. The author, Bob Rodieck, spent much of the last decade of his career in science assembling and designing this amazingly lucid, accessible, and sophisticated account of what humans do with those photons that are lucky enough to hit their retinas. The figures are works of art--informative without being cluttered. The book is more than just an account of how the eye work: it is also a case study of the scientific method, with numerous wise asides on how to think about, and solve, scientific problems. The publisher, Sinauer Associates, is noted for careful editing and beautiful book production, and this 562-page book is a superb example of the craft that belongs right next to Edward R. Tufte's classic "Visual Explanations." If you are teaching a course in Sensory Psychology or Neuroscience (any branch), quick, get this book. Just the appendix material is worth the price.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing at many levels, January 19, 2002

By 

Thomas Hughes - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First Steps in Seeing (Hardcover)

There are many books on vision, but this one is truly unique. The illustrations, organization, and writing make it an example of everything a good text book should be. It can be read as an introduction to vision, to neurobiology, or simply to biology. The real beauty of this text is that it makes this elegant field of biology accessible to so many. A natural progression of chapters leads you through the field of vision, while a series of interludes and topics help you think through fundamental issues such as scale, measurement, and kinetics. Finally, an epilogue does what so few texts do: it outlines what we don't know! I read this during a week-long vactation in Tuscany, and it went down like the fine wine of the region.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written and illustrated introductory book at the retina/cellular level, June 15, 2009

By 

Donald E. Fulton (Stoneham, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The First Steps in Seeing (Hardcover)

I agree with the other reviewers this is a terrific book. I came upon this book by a recommendation from Jeremy Nathans, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins Medical School, who in Mar 2009 coauthored an article on color vision in Scientific American. While an introductory text, this book digs deep discussing pretty much everything known and not known (circa 1998) about how vision works at the retina/cellular level.

The format of the book is large, the text well laid out and clear, and it features a huge number of beautiful drawn, well planned, consistent figures. As an example of its depth, there are 16 pages devoted to explaining how a rod is able to respond to a single photon, and unlike many biological books there are lots of numbers. (This may be because, according to Prof Nathans, Rodieck trained as an electrical engineer.) The dark circulating current of the rod is shown as 34 pa with two figures showing how a single captured photon causes it to pulse by 0.7 pa (about 2%) resulting in the cell membrane voltage pulsing from -35 mv to -36 mv. This voltage change is clearly shown using a double figure (p172) detailing how the -1 mv transient rides on the -35 mv baseline (dark) value, which in turn modulates the glutamate signal to next cells in the pathway (bipolar cells). This book aims to teach. Highly recommended.