The First Steps in Seeing

Rating:
Summary: Seeing at many levels
Review: There are many books on vision, but this one is truly unique. The illustrations, organization, and writing make it an example of everything a good text book should be. It can be read as an introduction to vision, to neurobiology, or simply to biology. The real beauty of this text is that it makes this elegant field of biology accessible to so many. A natural progression of chapters leads you through the field of vision, while a series of interludes and topics help you think through fundamental issues such as scale, measurement, and kinetics. Finally, an epilogue does what so few texts do: it outlines what we don't know! I read this during a week-long vactation in Tuscany, and it went down like the fine wine of the region.

Rating:
Summary: Seeing at many levels
Review: There are many books on vision, but this one is truly unique. The illustrations, organization, and writing make it an example of everything a good text book should be. It can be read as an introduction to vision, to neurobiology, or simply to biology. The real beauty of this text is that it makes this elegant field of biology accessible to so many. A natural progression of chapters leads you through the field of vision, while a series of interludes and topics help you think through fundamental issues such as scale, measurement, and kinetics. Finally, an epilogue does what so few texts do: it outlines what we don't know! I read this during a week-long vactation in Tuscany, and it went down like the fine wine of the region.

Rating:
Summary: A masterful, lucid explanation of what the human eye does.
Review: Whoever you are and whatever your line of work: if you are interested in how your eyes work, this book will fascinate you as much (or more) than the hottest bestseller. The author, Bob Rodieck, spent much of the last decade of his career in science assembling and designing this amazingly lucid, accessible, and sophisticated account of what humans do with those photons that are lucky enough to hit their retinas. The figures are works of art--informative without being cluttered. The book is more than just an account of how the eye work: it is also a case study of the scientific method, with numerous wise asides on how to think about, and solve, scientific problems. The publisher, Sinauer Associates, is noted for careful editing and beautiful book production, and this 562-page book is a superb example of the craft that belongs right next to Edward R. Tufte's classic "Visual Explanations." If you are teaching a course in Sensory Psychology or Neuroscience (any branch), quick, get this book. Just the appendix material is worth the price.