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Summary: Everything you've ever wanted to know about bones
Review: A tersely-written, succint and comprehensive overview of the human skeleton, including sections on analytical methods currently employed by physical anthropologists. These include age/sex assessment, excavation/recovery guides, photographic methods, stature/ancestry assessment, palaeopathology and population biology. Three case studies, from the fields of hominid palaeontology, archaeology and forensic anthropology are also included to add depth to the methods and procedures discussed. Despite being first published almost ten years ago, White's superb and succint writing style makes many recent publications appear superfluous by comparison. Probably the best book of its kind ever written.
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Summary: The ultimate authority on the subject
Review: A tersely-written, succint and comprehensive overview of the human skeleton, including sections on analytical methods currently employed by physical anthropologists. These include age/sex assessment, excavation/recovery guides, photographic methods, stature/ancestry assessment, palaeopathology and population biology. Three case studies, from the fields of hominid palaeontology, archaeology and forensic anthropology are also included to add depth to the methods and procedures discussed. Despite being first published almost ten years ago, White's superb and succint writing style makes many recent publications appear superfluous by comparison. Probably the best book of its kind ever written.
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Summary: One of the best textbooks I've owned
Review: An excellent text book covering the human skeleton. Wonderfully illustrated with black and white photos. As a bonus includes several case studies in identifying human remains.
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Summary: Incredible and very thorough
Review: An excellent text book covering the human skeleton. Wonderfully illustrated with black and white photos. As a bonus includes several case studies in identifying human remains.
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Summary: Everything you've ever wanted to know about bones
Review: As a criminalistics student this was a required textbook for my forensic anthropology class. This book was by far the most informative on the subject of human osteology. If you are confused with the ball of the femur and the head of the humerus, this is the one for you. I am now able to correctly identify bone fragments, due mostly in part to the intricate details presented in this particular book. Forget it, Book buy-back - I plan to keep this book long after my college years!
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Summary: A dissenting opinion....
Review: In order to temper the unrestrained exuberance of the former reviews, I think it is appropriate to point out what I believe are a couple of major shortcomings of this book.Yes the photography is very good. However, the paper it is printed on is not so good. Don't try underlining any of the text with a pen or pencil; the line will be transferred to the following page. The thin paper combined with the ink on the opposite side forms a tracing paper when you mark on the page. For a price that completely wrecks a hundred dollar bill, I think the customer deserves more. Mr. White is surely wagging his vestigial tail all the way to the bank. Most importantly, the descriptive sections of the text are very brief, with many bone features ignored. The Running Press reprint of the 1901 edition of Gray's Anatomy has a much more thorough (and much much cheaper) text of bone anatomy, although many of its formerly great illustrations have been reduced to dark blots (evidently in an effort to make the text more legible). In White's book, I would have preferred that seemingly precious text space be used for description of anatomy rather than the author spinning his (and academia's) fairy tales of how fish turned into men.
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Summary: Definitely worth it!
Review: The pictures in this book are incredible, and the text is well-written and very helpful for anyone who is trying to memorize or learn about the human skeleton, as well as those who are just mildly interested in it. I bought it to use for his Human Paleontology class at UC Berkeley (he gives an osteology quiz at the beginning of the semester--aaaaah!) and now I am always referring back to it. The whole package is probably upper division college material but the text is clear and understandable, and I would recommend it to anyone just on account of the pictures. It's definitely a book I'll hang onto for a long time.
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Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is an excellent source for information on learning the bones, how to side them, and many other interesting aspects of osteology.
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Summary: Complete and concise course
Review: This is quite possibly the most useful book I have ever bought. "Human Osteology" is clear and complete. The photos and diagrams are clear and complete. The text is clear and complete. I have used this book in three separate classes and it has proved invaluable to me all three times.
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Summary: Complete and concise course
Review: This is quite possibly the most useful book I have ever bought. "Human Osteology" is clear and complete. The photos and diagrams are clear and complete. The text is clear and complete. I have used this book in three separate classes and it has proved invaluable to me all three times.
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