Rating: 
Summary: A definite improvement over Genes VI
Review: In this edition, the author dramatically departs from the last one, both in content and order of presentation, and in the author's enthusiasm. He is clearly very excited about the developments in genetics that have taken place in the last decade, and this shows up everywhere in his writing. The book would be of interest to anyone interested in genetics, whether they are students, curious laymen, or mathematicians or physicists interested in the molecular biology behind genetics. The only minus to the book is the lack of exercises, the absence of which makes the understanding of the material more time consuming. A good background in biochemistry would be very helpful in the reading of the book. The book is a sizable one, and space does not permit a detailed review, but there are some areas in the book that stand out as being exceptionally well-written, thought-provoking, or helpful. As someone interested in bioinformatics, mathematical genetics, and mathematical modeling of metabolic processes, I read this book from the standpoint of these interests. With this in mind, some of the more interesting discussions in the book include: 1. The author constantly asks questions throughout the book, which help to clarify the issues and motivate the concepts in the book. He also points out the questions that are unanswered up to the date of publication, giving the research-oriented reader opportunities for further investigation. 2. The discussion on mutations, with the author pointing out the difference between point mutations and insertions/deletions, the role of revertants, and the occurrence of silent mutations. I wish he would have elaborated in more detail on the experiments that identified the mutations responsible for Mendel's famous wrinkled-pea mutants, i.e. the inactivation of the gene for a starch branching enzyme. 3. The discussion on the C-value paradox and the presence of large amounts of noncoding DNA in the larger genomes. This is an interesting problem for optimization theory. 4. The discussion on the mechanisms for gene reorganization. Again, this is an interesting question in optimization theory, especially the divergence between introns as a stabilizing factor that suppresses the occurrence of unequal crossing-over. The author gives examples of the effects of unequal crossing-over, such as human globin gene clusters. 5. The crossover fixation model and the time scales needed relative to mutation. 6. Satellite DNAs and their role in DNA fingerprinting. From an information theory standpoint, satellite DNAs are interesting since they are essentially long strings of DNA of low complexity. 7. The life cycle of mRNA and the neat electron micrograph illustrating beautifully the dynamics of gene expression. 8. The accuracy of translation; the author outlining the critical stages at which errors can be made. 9. The discussion on phage strategies. The dynamics of phages is very amenable to mathematical modeling. 10. They topological manipulation of DNA. Some results from the mathematical theory of knots, such as the writhing and twisting numbers, are playing a role here. 11. The discussion on transposons. The author speaks of the mobility of transposons, and the physical mechanisms employed for their transfer are elaborated on in detail. The theory of transposons has to rank as one of the most fascinating in all of genetics. 12. DNA rearrangements and their consequence, such as the creation of new genes and the switching of expression of one gene to another. The discussion on Crown gall disease is particularly interesting. 13. The discussion on the visualization of genes during transcription and the differences in the experimental results. 14. The regulation of transcription and the control mechanisms for eukaryotes. 15. RNA editing and how information is extracted from various sources. 16. The discussion on the development process in Drosophila. This chapter should begin to satisfy the reader who is curious about the molecular basis of development. Because of its high quality, this book will no doubt continue to be one of the canonical texts in genetics to be used now and in the future to prepare students and researchers in genetics. The career opportunities opening up in bioinformatics and genetic engineering have mushroomed in recent years, a lot of this driven by the needs of drug discovery and development. In this connection, the author asks the following question in the book: "If we could read out the entire sequence of DNA comprising the genome of some organism and interpret it in terms of proteins and regulatory regions, could we then construct an organism by controlled expression of the proper genes?" One can only hope that the answer to this question will be yes, as this will create one of the most exciting of all professions in the 21st century: the genetic designer.
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Summary: Genes 7- A Primer For the Beginner
Review: Lewin has excellent figures and gives you the basics in Genes VII. Recently he's gotten into this pay for info on his website. Buy the book but don't get involved in his website.
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Summary: Thumbs down from a frustrated professor
Review: Lewin's Genes series has dominated the market in Molecular Biology textbooks ... Unfortunately, its monopoly status seems to have insulated Lewin, his illustrators, and his editors from the corrective influences of a competitive market...so far. I am in my second year of teaching from this book and I find it very frustrating. Lewin's writing style is unclear, difficult and distracting. Tangential ideas and subjects appear out of nowhere in the middle of chapters for no logical reason. As I write this, I should be preparing my lecture for Chapter 26 (Signal transduction). Why does this chapter start with a discussion of transporters? Later parts contain sentences that are almost unreadable and way too much detail about the alphabet soup of different kinases. Although it is much better than some earlier editions, Genes VII still contains a variety of major and minor errors, including serious problems in explaining how lagging strand DNA synthesis is coordinated in the replication fork - several experts tell me that the model in figure 13.16 is simply wrong. The holoenyme does not lose one of its catalytic subunits with each cycle of Okazaki fragment synthesis. The clamp simply lets go and the clamp loader grabs the next fragment with a new clamp. I realized this semester that I had been ignoring the book and teaching what I knew from seminars. Even when the content they describe is basically correct, figures in Genes VII can be astonishingly bad. Homologous recombination is illustrated with DNA strands that are only color coded and where the 5' and 3' ends are not labeled (Chapter 14). Unlabeled spliceosomal proteins change their color codes in the middle of the pathway - transesterification to form the lariat also seems to change U2 into U1 (Figure 22.10). I am hoping that one of the newer competitors for Genes VII will prove to be a suitable replacement. I am examining Robert Weaver's Molecular Biology - I like what I've read so far - and should get a review copy of T.A. Brown's Genomes soon. ...Disclaimer - I have no financial interest in the success of any of these. All of them are available on Amazon. By the way, I do have a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology. I'm not an expert in all of the material covered by Genes VII, but I was trained in labs whose work is cited in Genes VII.
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Summary: Cell, Genes, and others
Review: Maybe there are lots of references from Cell because it is one of the top journals in the field of molecular biology. I've learned a great deal from the excellent review articles in Cell and from the Genes series. In lab we use this book as a quick reference before heading to pubmed to try to find review articles on an unfamiliar subject. I can't speak as to how this book can be used in the classroom.
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Summary: Phenomenal New Edition
Review: Sirs- I have been privileged to witness the advanced copy of this fantastic new book and wish that all interested parties examine it closely. It provides a sensational new understanding of complicated material and makes it perfectly understandable for any willing student. Strongly recommended, good gentlemen, for those who wish to be enlightened on new technologies, connections, and processes. Establishes the concept of genes in a larger schematic sense.
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Summary: Curious
Review: The reader from the UK displays an ignorance that is rarely found in civilized society. Genes VII clearly establishes itself as the preeminent work in molecular biology. This man mostly likely works in a janitorial position at a subpar Mill Hill establishment.
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Summary: A decent molecular biology book.
Review: This book is good for beginners in molecular biology. The books primary goal seems to be to lay out the fundamentals of this wonderful subject. It doesn't contain all the latest research, but that is why we have scientific journals(e.g. CELL, SCIENCE and NATURE). The core fundamenals to this subject don't change much and the author does a decent job explaining them. There are some weaknesses to this book. The illustrations in this book are horrendous - the worst of any biology text I have ever seen ! At times they can be rather confusing to the reader. It also doesn't give me a lot of confidence in the proofreading and editing of this book when an errata sheet falls out of it. Textbooks are expensive and this kind of shotty work is unacceptable ! This book, despite its flaws, will give you the fundamentals of molecular biology.
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Summary: with many errors
Review: This book is the classic usually used for Genetics and Molecular biology. It provide basic concept of nearly every aspects. However, there are two drawbacks:
1. The objects in the pictures is not carefully arranged. Sometimes it may be confusing.
2. The order of chapters is strange, so you had better read in another order.In my opinion, the order is Part1, Part4, Chapter 18-22, Part3, Part2, Part6. By the way, there are many small errors. For example, in figure 29.28 "Hg" should be "Hh" which stand for Hedgehog.In page 592, the experiment data in figure 19.38 disappear. In all, though it is not the best, but still have the reason to exist at the market
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: This book is useful but if your new to genetics and want a nice reference book that is easy to read I recommend "Concepts of Genetics" by Klug and Cummings. I have the 6th version and even though it is not as popular as Lewin's texts it reads well and has great pictures.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: This book is useful but if your new to genetics and want a nice reference book that is easy to read I recommend "Concepts of Genetics" by Klug and Cummings. I have the 6th version and even though it is not as popular as Lewin's texts it reads well and has great pictures.
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