Customer Reviews

BIOS Instant Notes in Microbiology

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

 

 

I have been traditionally schooled as a molecular biologist and had not dealt with microbiology since an intro course in college. When a new job landed me in a bacterial research lab, I panicked. This book has provided me with a great review of microbiology and prompted me to remember things I didn't know that I knew! The text is clearly stated and easy to understand. There are many cross references to other sections of the book which help to tie concepts together in a quick and concise manner. The diagrams are well drawn and very concise. I would recommend this book for those who have had some micro, but feel the need to brush up on the basic concepts.

"Instant Notes in Microbiology" is a cheap and cheerful alternative to the proliferation of glossy microbiology textbooks which the North American market has spawned over the last decade. If cheap and cheerful puts you off, it shouldn't. The book is comprehensive, well written, well illustrated (in black and white), and importantly, reasonably priced. Unashamedly concentrating on a non-medical approach to microbiology (although medical microbiology is covered as well), the book lives up to it's title and presents a wide range of material concisely in an extended note format.
So what's the downside? I wonder if students can be weaned away from the Technicolor extravaganzas which compete for their attention, or if lecturers can be persuaded to adopt this minimalist volume as opposed to the competition? Also, while this is an excellent introduction to microbiology, to progress to a deeper understanding of specific topics, students will need to be persuaded to undertake extra reading and research. As we know, back to basics can have it's pitfalls, but put to the purpose for which it is intended, this is the most useful microbiology textbook it has been my pleasure to read for many years.....

I found this book to help me with studying for the differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

The virus section was also very helpful for my college microbiology class.

For test preparation I used also "Microbiology Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers" also on Amazon. (author Patrick Leonardi.) This study guide showed me the type of questions asked by college professors of microbiology. This helped a lot because now I knew what to expect.

However, a good knowledge source like "Instant Notes in Microbiology" provided a very good way to first learn the facts.

I purchased what I thought to be the 3rd edition of this book, however, I received the 2nd edition. When I tried to contact the sender about the mistake they never got back to me. The photo of the book was a photo of the 3rd edition as well. I am very disappointed with my purchase since I had to buy the 3rd edition anyway.