Molecular Biology of the Cell [Hardcover]

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

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0815341059 | ISBN-13: 978-0815341055 | Publication Date: November 16, 2007 | Edition: 5

For nearly a quarter century Molecular Biology of the Cell has been the leading cell biology textbook. This tradition continues with the new Fifth Edition, which has been completely revised and updated to describe our current, rapidly advancing understanding of cell biology. To list but a few examples, a large amount of new material is presented on epigenetics; stem cells; RNAi; comparative genomics; the latest cancer therapies; apoptosis (now its own separate chapter); and cell cycle control and the mechanics of M phase (now integrated into one chapter).

The hallmark features of Molecular Biology of the Cell have been retained, such as its consistent and comprehensive art program, clear concept headings, and succinct section summaries. Additionally, in response to extensive feedback from readers, the Fifth Edition now includes several new features.

It is now more portable. Chapters 1-20 are printed and Chapters 21-25, covering multicellular systems, are provided as PDF files on the free Media DVD-ROM which accompanies the book.* And for the first time, Molecular Biology of the Cell now contains end-of-chapter questions. These problems, written by John Wilson and Tim Hunt, emphasize a quantitative approach and the art of reasoning from experiments, and they will help students review and extend their knowledge derived from reading the textbook. The Media DVD-ROM, which is packaged with every copy of the book, contains PowerPoint® presentations with all of the figures, tables and micrographs from the text (available as JPEGs too). Also included is the Media Player, which plays over 125 movies—animations, videos, and molecular models—all with voice-over narration. A new reader-friendly feature is the integration of media codes throughout the text that link directly to relevant videos and animations. The Media DVD-ROM holds the multicellular systems chapters (21-25) of the text as well.

By skillfully extracting the fundamental concepts from this enormous and ever-growing field, the authors tell the story of cell biology, and thereby create a coherent framework through which readers may approach and enjoy this subject that is so central to all of biology.

* There is also a reference edition of Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fifth Edition (ISBN 978-0-8153-4111-6) that contains Chapters 1-25 entirely in printed format.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Throughout the book, emphasis is placed not just on what 'we know' but also on 'how we know' and 'what remains to be discovered'- important for engaging and enthusing students....A quarter of a century after the first edition revolutionised cell biology textbooks, the new edition is as fresh, comprehensive and above all, as readable as ever....Like its predecessors, this is a superb textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students."

-British Society for Developmental Biology Newsletter, Summer 2008, Vol. 29, No. 1

"Professors, lecturers, and instructors will find the fifth edition of the book Molecular Biology of the Cell and its accompanying Problems Book to be an excellent choice for guiding their students through the maze of the cell's molecular structures and biochemical processes....With countless colorful illustrations and a large number of photographs and tables, reading the text becomes not only an educational experience, but also a highly enjoyable one for those students who wish to discover the inner workings of the magnificent cellular machine....Educators will also find the DVD-ROM to be a rich electronic resource when compiling their lectures....No less important is the Problems Book, which contains numerous exercises and questions that are an integral part of the learning process, and that teachers, instructors, and students are sure to appreciate."

The Quarterly Review of Biology, September 2008, Volume 83, Number 3

 

"It has been 25 years since the first edition of Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC) was published, which means that roughly half of today's practicing scientists do not remember life without this cell biology `bible'. The other half might recall how the book almost instantly filled a void with refreshingly clear and engaging writing illustrated with extensive diagrams and figures….MBoC has only improved over its several editions, growing with the rapid advances in the field to become an essential resource for students at all levels and a trusted first stop for researchers transitioning into unfamiliar areas of cell biology….An enduring strength of the book is that it remains a comprehensive textbook….In addition to the comprehensive updating of every chapter, another reason to consider acquiring edition five is the improved integration of the print volume with an extensive array of videos and animations in the `Cell Biology Interactive' provided on the accompanying DVD….Another welcome improvement in MBoC5 helps link the textbook to the lab - there are now problems printed at the ends of the first 20 chapters. Whereas some are designed to facilitate information retention, the best problems stimulate thought and challenge the reader to think about experimental approaches for learning new things about cell biology….the MBoC5 package is a fantastic resource and well worth the upgrade."

-Development (Company of Biologists) 135, 3973-3974 (2008)

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. For 12 years, he served as President of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1993-2005).

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 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: 1392 pages
• Publisher: Garland Science; 5 edition (November 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815341059
• ISBN-13: 978-0815341055
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792 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
  • #3 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Evolution

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but Last 5 Chapters are Electronic, January 12, 2008

By 

A. LUJAN (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Molecular Biology of the Cell (Hardcover)

GREAT book, but the only problem is that the last 5 chapters are in PDF format on an attached CD rather than in print (they did this to make the book more portable). If you want the full print version, buy the Reference edition.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensible by Non-Specialist, September 16, 2009

By 

Bob Carpenter (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molecular Biology of the Cell (Hardcover)

[Reviewing 5th Edition, Chapters 1-7] I'm a Ph.D. computer scientist working on an NIH grant in text mining biomedical literature, so I thought I should bone up on the underlying science. The first seven chapters of this book are just what I needed. The first overview chapter is an excellent standalone introduction to the cell and genomics/proteomics and their ilk. After a two-chapter very comprehensible introduction to biochemistry (strong emphasis on thermodynamics/energy and bonding/structure) and protein structures, the next chapters lay out the entire process from DNA to protein, including expression control.

It's slow reading (it takes me an hour or more to read 10 pages), but very clearly written, and very thorough. The diagrams and accompanying text are amazingly clear and helpful. (There are also animations, but I've never looked at the DVD.) The diagrams and their long captions are often supplementary in that they add details that are not in the body of the text.

I had read the same sections of the 4th Edition a few years ago. The 5th edition adds substantial new material starting with the chapter on proteins. Ironically, the 5th edition is more speculative, because the more we find out about gene expression, the further away full understanding seems to be. The book does a nice job of balancing what's known fairly certainly with speculative guesses about things like chromatin structure.

This time, I think I'll keep going. The sections of the rest of the book I've browsed when they've been cross-referenced are also excellent.

85 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars another part of the problem with academic book publishing, February 11, 2008

By 

Doc Dave "Doc Dave" (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molecular Biology of the Cell: Reference Edition (Hardcover)

The publishers have made the standard edition (ISBN-10: 0815341059) of MBOTC more "portable" by not printing the final 5 chapters of the book, but including them as electronic files on the DVD. While these chapters are included, in print, in this reference edition (0815341113), take a look at the price differential between the two. If, as publishers might like us to believe, portability is such a great feature for a textbook, then why should students be expected to pay a premium for this less than portable reference edition?

The chapters in question are:
21-Sexual Reproduction: Meiosis, Germ Cells, and Fertilization
22-Development of Multicellular Organisms
23-Specialized Tissues, Stem Cells, and Tissue Renewal
24-Pathogens, Infection, and Innate Immunity
25-The Adaptive Immune System

With the 4th edition there were 25 printed chapters and 1616 pages: $5.68/printed chapter, or ~8.8 cents/page based on my calculations using list price info. With the regular 5th edition, 20 printed chapters, 1268 pages: $7.10/printed chapter, or ~11.2 cents/page. And with the reference edtition, 25 printed chapters and 1728 pages: $8.36/printed chapter, or ~12.1 cents/page. So the page cost for this reference edition has increased by over 1/3 as compared to the last edition, and is about 8% higher than for the regular 5th edition. Admittedly, I am a major geek for actually doing these calculations.

I am giving the book 2 stars for content, because it really is a solid resource for learning molecular biology. However, with so many students carrying a heavy burden of debt upon graduation, it's a shame to see the continuing trend of exorbitant prices for the best texts, making them just another contributor to the problems with education today.