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. The first edition was the work of seven authors, all of them outstanding scientists [note 2]. For the second edition, the team of authors has been expanded to include a science writer, Karen Hopkin, whose main responsibility (the Preface tells us) has been “to make the book clear, access… More >>
Essential Cell Biology, Second Edition
Tags: karen hopkin
#1 by Anonymous on June 28, 2010 - 4:22 pm
I recently bought the book “Essential Cell Biology: An Introduction to the Molecular Biology of the Cell” and studied it from cover to cover, including all the questions and answers. It was one of the greatest and most well-organized textbooks I have ever encountered. The language was very fluent, and especially some of the example questions were quite entertaining and witty. I haven’t had any education neither in biology nor in molecular biology nor in biochemistry (my major is chemical engineering), still I didn’t have any difficulties in understanding all the concepts presented in the book. The knowledge I gained from the book was a great help to me during the “GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology” which I took just yesterday. I am applying to graduate schools in the US for a Ph.D. degree in Molecular Biology or Bioengineering, and the test I took yesterday was crucial for my applications, in which (thanks to Essential Cell Biology) I believe I did quite well for a person without a background in the subject except a two-months-long self-study. This is a great and concise introductory textbook to the molecular biology of the cell, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in this subject with no or little background.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Tim P Morken on June 28, 2010 - 6:42 pm
This is the “Baby Alberts,” a condensed version of “Molecular Biology of the Cell by the same authors. It covers the basic premises well and the reader will not get bogged down in details that will only be useful to a senior student or graduate student. The CD that comes with it has some very nice videos and a few good animations of cell processes but it is not anywhere near as useful as the HyperCell 1998 CD, which has animations and explanations of all cell processes (Also from Garland Publishing). If you plan to make cell and molecular biology your major or career, however, you will be much better off buying the more comprehensive book; it has everything that is in this book and way beyond. It may save you money because you will probably buy it in the future anyway!
Rating: 4 / 5
#3 by Marcelo Sierra on June 28, 2010 - 8:41 pm
A gem of a book. It puts at the hands of lay people the wonders of molecular biology. The best way of spending $65 I can think of.
The text is a most refined product distilled by an all-star team of leading scientists. Oriented towards the lay person or the would be specialist, it is simple, unpretentious, sometimes even funny, but always powerfully explanatory. The diagrams are exceptionally clear (a must for explaining such complex subjects) and the photographs are astounding. Love for their subject and passion for teaching are present all along. And mysticism is always around the corner…
If you have ever wondered things like “What are exactly chromosomes?”, “How do exactly enzymes work in the cell?”, or “How the hell does all this machinery work at a purely chemical level ?” and you are not quite satisfied with popular science books, this one is for you. It will answer these questions and much, much more.
An enjoyable, deeply satisfying tour the force through the molecular level of all living organisms.
Don’t miss it!
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Somali Chaterji on June 28, 2010 - 10:17 pm
I feel this is a very good textbook for molecular biology rookies as well as for pros wanting to revive their concepts … Molecular Biology of the Cell could serve as an excellent companion book or rather reference book for this textbook … the cd provided along with the Essential Cell Biology book is a great tool to understand the way things work … in short, it is a must book for mol bio students to know what they are doing and to do things better:) It could also serve as a great book for biomedical engineers to grasp more of biology and engineer the concepts better. The book is definitely more simplified (kinda an abridged version) and easier to understand than “Molecular Biology of the Cell”. Although, the size of the latter makes it look more formidable for beginners, I must add it is indeed a great reference book for researchers!
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by HumDrummer on June 28, 2010 - 10:54 pm
I have read a good number of science texts, and this one just doesn’t seem to be as good as the others. The explanations are adequate, though not to the level that Marieb’s Anatomy and Physiology was or to the extent of Biology by Campbell and Reese. In class, the professor told us to refer to Campbell and to “Molecular Biology of the Cell” for better explanations.
The glossary is incomplete, and often key terms are just nt there. The index suffers from the same trouble, even when the chapters address the topic. Lastly the graphics, just don’t seem to be as well planned as those in the texts mentioned above.
I understand that many do not have a choice given that most buy the book as an assigned text. My recommendation, therefore, is to save your old textbooks and to ask that your professor place a copy of Molecular Biology of the Cell on reserve at your school library.
Rating: 3 / 5