Customer Reviews

Human Osteology

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The pictures in this book are incredible, and the text is well-written and very helpful for anyone who is trying to memorize or learn about the human skeleton, as well as those who are just mildly interested in it. I bought it to use for his Human Paleontology class at UC Berkeley (he gives an osteology quiz at the beginning of the semester--aaaaah!) and now I am always referring back to it. The whole package is probably upper division college material but the text is clear and understandable, and I would recommend it to anyone just on account of the pictures. It's definitely a book I'll hang onto for a long time.

A tersely-written, succint and comprehensive overview of the human skeleton, including sections on analytical methods currently employed by physical anthropologists. These include age/sex assessment, excavation/recovery guides, photographic methods, stature/ancestry assessment, palaeopathology and population biology. Three case studies, from the fields of hominid palaeontology, archaeology and forensic anthropology are also included to add depth to the methods and procedures discussed. Despite being first published almost ten years ago, White's superb and succint writing style makes many recent publications appear superfluous by comparison. Probably the best book of its kind ever written.

As a criminalistics student this was a required textbook for my forensic anthropology class. This book was by far the most informative on the subject of human osteology. If you are confused with the ball of the femur and the head of the humerus, this is the one for you. I am now able to correctly identify bone fragments, due mostly in part to the intricate details presented in this particular book. Forget it, Book buy-back - I plan to keep this book long after my college years!

I've had no problems underlining in pencil with this book. either underline lightly or place a piece of cardstock between the pages. despite the fact that a lot of bone features are ignored, it is worth the price to buy it used just for the siding of the carpals, metacarpals, phalanges, tarsals, metatarsals, and pedal phalanges.

In our human skeletal analysis lab we have at least 4 texts, including this one. Each one is lacking something the other has. It seems common for these types of texts. I've had to buy this book, and another, in addition to the required text for the course just to cover all aspects about osteology (except pathology, which is covered in a book that costs 180 bucks).

That said, if you're a physical anth major, you'll probably need more than one book anyway, since we need to know every feature on each individual bone.

Two words: wonderfully illustrated. They could use this book for a class on lab photography.

I chose this book over other optional texts available for a forensic anthropology class, and I believe it was by far the best at this level. Like others have said, if you need to know the small visual differences between two similar landmarks, this is the one.

Also, don't sell it back once you're done. You'll be sorry.

This book is a good introductory text, and I have referred to it many times, but I can't give it 5 stars...

As someone else said, the descriptions of features on the bones were sometimes lacking.

And while the photos are big, bold, and very helpful, sometimes the single-source lighting throws shadows over features on the bones. This didn't bother me too much because I was lucky enough to study in a lab with dozens of specimens I could use to familiarize myself with the landmarks, but for students who don't have access to real bones, these photos may be insufficient.

This book is, without a doubt, the most useful text on human skeletal materials out there. The writing is lucid and the photographs are large, clear, and well labeled. White also included several chapters and case studies that serve as introductions to topics concerning human skeletal remains: taphonomy, forensic science, pathology, paleoanthropology, ect. Of all of the text and reference books that I have bought over the years, this one has been the most frequently used. It is absolutely essential for anyone interested in the human skeleton.

Anyone interested in human bones and archaeology together, in that case this book is a wonderful help for future studies and research!!

This book is very helpful when learning human osteology. I really like how many pictures there are. If I can't have the real object in front of me then the book is the next best thing. Although the book is kind of pricey I think it was worth the money. Over all very good text book for the subject.

This book is an excellent source for information on learning the bones, how to side them, and many other interesting aspects of osteology.