Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide, 2nd edition

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Summary: Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide
Review: Clear, succinct, explains everything really well. I wish all my texts were this easy to understand.

Rating:
Summary: Not a good survey of the material
Review: Do not be misled by the generally high quality of Mr. Garber's previous work. The "self-teaching" guide is more vocabulary list than textbook. Critical missing features include (a) some notion of life as _process_ rather than a lengthy list of elements of cell anatomy, (b) poikilothermy appears in end-of-chapter questions, but the text does not compare it with homeothermy in any useful way, (c) comparative anatomy illustrations are not drawn to scale, making it difficult to make appropriate comparisons. The vocabulary lists and end-of-chapter multiple choice questions would save a first-year teaching assistant some time preparing for classes for non-majors. The book is not much help in acquiring a general understanding of the basic science.

Rating:
Summary: Best Biology Book Ever Written
Review: For the money you can't beat Steven Daniel Garber's biology book, "Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide." He has done what virtually no one has ever been able to do. Explain biology in clear, succinct, beautiful brushstrokes that actually get each and every important concept and term across to both the casual reader and the frantic student trying to cram before the next exam. Garber has a knack for telling a story. Any story. Be it about insect blood or about impulses traveling down a nerve cell. He only says what the reader must know. No frills. But he always says it beautifully. In a manner that actually makes this book hard to put down. Now tell me the same thing about another biology book in the history of the world. I'll bet you can't. He's the best technical writer ever. And I mean ever.

Rating:
Summary: Easy to learn, great reference for college biology
Review: I found this book to help me to clarify the concepts learned in my biology textbook. Cell biology, Evolution, Origin of Life and Animal Physiology were explained with simple language. It was actually more enjoyable to read then my textbook. What I really found outstanding was the following which I got on amazon--
The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations (Volume 1 isbn;1933023007, Volume 2 isbn; 1933023015, Volume 3 isbn; 1933023023)
These 3 study guides had similar questions to my college biology exams. Well worth the investment because it made my studying much more effective.