Life: The Science of Biology

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Summary: But is ok, spend time 2 memorize the details though
Review: Very similar to other biology books, there will not be a feature in this book that will make it significally stand-up from the other ones. In despite of that, I really recommend the website that accompanies this book. The animations are great to understand biological concepts such as PCR, operons, etc.
Everything is in great detail (too much detail for an introductory class in my opinion)... the organization could have been better to make the students understand. Sometimes I feel it provides so many details that the big picture is lost! I think that the cellular respiration chapter organization was confusing (it kept going from glycolisis to kreb's cycle back and forth.) It will be somewhat hard if you want to use this book to learn biology independently.
If you are a highschool student, I would highly recommend this book since it gives a great approximation of the type of books that will be used in university. I understand that MIT, Harvard and UCSD uses this book for their undergraduates...

Rating:
Summary: A terrific learning tool leaving no question unanswered.
Review: "Life" is a great textbook for advanced biology classes. It teaches the basics with detail and depth. Purves created a terrific learning tool leaving no question unanswered.

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Summary: Somewhat lessens the hell that is AP Biology
Review: As an 11th grade victim of AP Biology, I have found some solace in this textbook. It is well-written and illustrated, and it is usually clear and informative. Aside from the occasional chapters that threw me for a loop (For example: Chapter 14 - The Eukaryotic Genome and its Expression. Huh?) the book is very good and I would recommend it to future AP Bio students.

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Summary: Gargantuan
Review: As far as biology books go, this book is gigantic, in terms of size, information content, and price. The information contained in the book is definitely well presented (lots of nice diagrams and picture, all of which are very clear) and up-to-date. There are references to events which have occured as recently as a couple years ago. Also nice is the historical context; I've never really seen a biology book that says "this process was discovered by Dr. so-and-so, from so-and-so University/Institute of Technology, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in so-and-so year." It doesn't add a whole lot to the book, except that it adds a human dimension to the otherwise boring (sorry to any biologists who are reading this review) subject of biology.

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Summary: makes AP bio a whole lot easier
Review: As part of the AP Bio program, I feel that a lot of information must be crammed into a student's head. Purves et al meticulously explain each process, allowing for easier memorization and, more importantly, understanding of the complex processes. Some chapters, however, are still extraordinarily difficult to master. For example, chapters 14 and 15 were practically impossible (snrps anyone?) Other than that, this book is flawless. The pictures and the explanations that accompany them are very useful. I would recommend this book to those that are considering an AP biology course or even a college course (Did you know Harvard uses this book? That made us high school students feel smart!) Enjoy everybody!

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Summary: Thorough, clearly written text for college-level biology.
Review: First, just to let you know what perspective I am reviewing this from, I am a college student, and this text was used in my 200-level introductory biology course. Since I am a student, and not a professor or expert of any sort, I am evaluating the book based on how helpful it was to me in learning the material. For input from biology professors, you'll have to take a look at some of the other reviews here.

"Life: The Science of Biology" has definitely been one of the better biology textbooks I've used. The text is well written, with clear explanations and plenty of real-life examples to help you tie small details into the bigger picture. But beware: The information here is incredibly in-depth, so if you're only looking for a basic overview of biology, you may actually want a slightly simpler book, otherwise you may get lost in all the details. It was perfect for my 200-level class, and gave me all the information I needed, but I don't think it would be the ideal text for an introductory biology course. One other reviewer here mentioned that she used this text to teach her AP biology students. I took AP biology in high school (and got a 5 on the exam) and can guarantee you that this text contains far, far more than you would ever need to know to get a perfect score. It's definitely a college level text.

The book has numerous detailed, well-labeled diagrams that are helpful in understanding different processes. In fact, being a rather visual, hands-on learner, I sometimes found the step-by-step diagrams easier to follow than the text itself. There are also plenty of great photographs and other helpful images. At the end of each chapter there is a bare-bones overview of key points you should know, and a self-quiz to help you evaluate your grasp of the material. At the end of the book there is an extensive glossary with definitions of key terms.

Unfortunately, there is one mistake in this book, to be found in chapter 34, "Deuterostomate Animals." On page 674, some text from the previous page is repeated, and this in turn means that part of the section entitled "Primates and the Origin of Humans" is cut off, even ending in mid-sentence. The following page is filled entirely with pictures and diagrams, no text, and then on page 676 where the text starts up again, it skips to the beginning of the next section, entirely leaving out a chunk of information. This is the only place in the book where I found such a problem.

There is a website to accompany this text (www.thelifewire.com). I never found it necessary to use the site for my studies, but it may be helpful for some. It contains chapter summaries, animated tutorials, text-related activities, self quizzes, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of key terms (same as the one found at the back of the book). The book is also supposed to come with a CD-ROM. My school's bookstore was selling the books and CDs separately, and I did not purchase the CD and so cannot evaluate its usefulness. I know I learned everything I needed without it, and I suspect the book and website alone would be sufficient for most students' needs.

Aside from the glitch in chapter 34, mentioned above, I have found nothing to complain about with this book. I will definitely be hanging on to it for future reference, and highly recommend it to anyone needing a detailed, comprehensive biology text. NOTE: This review refers to the 7th edition of this book.

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Summary: Purves is a genius.
Review: I have found "Life, the science of Biology" an incredibly helpful aid to my studies of the life sciences. Purves brillantly eludicates the very fundementals of this science to the utmost pinnacle of schlorship.

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Summary: Best Biology Textbook Publication in a very long time!!!
Review: I have reviewed Campbell, Curtis& Barnes, and other fine textbooks in biology, as a teacher and a scientist, I find Purves, etal; Life , A Science of Biology as the best textbook on the market. His clear explanation of the concepts with bright, colorful pictures have helped my students to understand biological concepts for the AP Bio exam as well as preparing them for college. The questions after each and every chapter plainly incorporate the chapter's lessons as well as inclusion of the continuity of life that is important in all biology teaching. His book had already included the new domain designations and included the reasons as why they were being changed. ( As this was the infamous #3 question on the AP Bio exam.) As a trained molecular biologist, I am finally satisfied in the explanation of the molecular process of life. Again his use of good solid pictures help to re-enforce a difficult concept. I also know that MIT uses this book as well as Harvard, I urge every biology teacher professor to at least have this in their personal library.

Rating:
Summary: Best Biology Textbook Publication in a very long time!!!
Review: I have reviewed Campbell, Curtis& Barnes, and other fine textbooks in biology, as a teacher and a scientist, I find Purves, etal; Life , A Science of Biology as the best textbook on the market. His clear explanation of the concepts with bright, colorful pictures have helped my students to understand biological concepts for the AP Bio exam as well as preparing them for college. The questions after each and every chapter plainly incorporate the chapter's lessons as well as inclusion of the continuity of life that is important in all biology teaching. His book had already included the new domain designations and included the reasons as why they were being changed. ( As this was the infamous #3 question on the AP Bio exam.) As a trained molecular biologist, I am finally satisfied in the explanation of the molecular process of life. Again his use of good solid pictures help to re-enforce a difficult concept. I also know that MIT uses this book as well as Harvard, I urge every biology teacher professor to at least have this in their personal library.

Rating:
Summary: Complete college biology book.
Review: I used this book for my college biology classes. It was complete and has lots of info on evolution, ecology, reproduction, energy pathways, etc. I also found used
The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explantions by Patrick Leonardi Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3. I was recommended these books by a fellow student. I'm glad it took his recommendation because these three study guides had the kind of study questions that my college professor asked on the exams. These questions let me in the right direction in what was important to study. Purves Textbook and these three study guides were what helped me to pass biology with flying colors.