Известная и очень хорошая книга по биологии.


Book Description from www.amazon.com
Neil Campbell and Jane Reece's BIOLOGY remains unsurpassed as the most successful majors biology textbook in the world. This text has invited more than 4 million students into the study of this dynamic and essential discipline.The authors have restructured each chapter around a conceptual framework of five or six big ideas. An Overview draws students in and sets the stage for the rest of the chapter, each numbered Concept Head announces the beginning of a new concept, and Concept Check questions at the end of each chapter encourage students to assess their mastery of a given concept. New Inquiry Figures focus students on the experimental process, and new Research Method Figures illustrate important techniques in biology. Each chapter ends with a Scientific Inquiry Question that asks students to apply scientific investigation skills to the content of the chapter.
About the Author
Neil A. Campbell combined the investigative nature of a research scientist with the soul of an experienced and caring teacher. He earned his M.A. in Zoology from UCLA and his Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of California, Riverside, where he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2001. Dr. Campbell published numerous research articles on how certain desert plants thrive in salty soil and how sensitive plant (Mimosa) and other legumes move their leaves. His 30 years of teaching in diverse environments included general biology courses at Cornell University, Pomona College, and San Bernardino Valley College, where he received the college's first Outstanding Professor Award in 1986. Most recently Dr. Campbell was a visiting scholar in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at the University of California, Riverside. In addition to his authorship of this book, he coauthored Biology: Concepts & Connections and Essential Biology with Jane Reece. Each year, over 600,000 students worldwide use Campbell/Reece biology textbooks.
Jane B. Reece has worked in biology publishing since 1978, when she joined the editorial staff of Benjamin Cummings. Her education includes an A.B. in Biology from Harvard University, an M.S. in Microbiology from Rutgers University, and a Ph.D. in Bacteriology from the University of California, Berkeley. At UC Berkeley and later as a post-doctoral fellow in genetics at Stanford University, her research focused on genetic recombination in bacteria. Dr. Reece taught biology at Middlesex County College (New Jersey) and Queensborough Community College (New York). As an editor at Benjamin Cummings, Dr. Reece played major roles in a number of successful textbooks. In addition to being a coauthor with Neil Campbell on BIOLOGY, Biology: Concepts & Connections, and Essential Biology, she coauthored The World of the Cell, Third Edition, with W.M. Becker and M.F. Poenie.
5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive depth of explanation, August 1, 2005

By Alan Meyer (Randallstown, MD USA) - See all my reviews

(REAL NAME)

I'm working through an earlier edition of this book (because it was used and cheap) and am very impressed by it. There are a lot of excellent introductory science textbooks, but what distinguishes this one in my mind is the author's relentless effort to deepen his explanations. You don't just learn that some reaction occurs in the cell. You learn why it occurs, what its antecedents are, what their antecedents are, how feedback reactions in the cell stimulate or inhibit the reaction, and what the mechanisms of action are. At each point where the reader may be thinking, "That's interesting, but why does that happen?", all he need do is read on and very likely find that Campbell will ask, and answer, his question.
Explanation must always come to a stop. But Campbell pushes his explanations out to the frontiers of our knowledge. His explanations stop not where he thinks the student is too unsophisticated to continue, but where either there is no more known, or where it would be impossible to say more and still cover the whole subject of biology in one book.
This approach shows great respect for the student. It treats the student as an intelligent person who is interested, motivated, and able to learn. It is the standard approach for more advanced texts, but it's not always found in introductory books. It's a considerable achievement to be able to write about a highly technical subject this deeply and this thoroughly, and still put it in terms that the beginning student can understand.
The book is also very well produced. There are excellent illustrations, a useful glossary, an index, and many photo-micrographs. Even in the illustrations, Campbell treats the reader as a serious student - providing thorough explanations and labeling each microscope photo to indicate how it was made (light, scanning electrons, transmissive electrons). I can't say what's on the CD ROM because I haven't seen it. But if it's as good as the rest of the visual material, it will be very good indeed.
I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the science of Biology.

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4.0 out of 5 stars The standard by which biology majors' texts are gauged, March 21, 2006

By Alan R. Holyoak (In the Shadow of the Tetons) - See all my reviews

(REAL NAME)

Campbell's Biology has been the standard biology text for majors for many years. Though there are many good competitors, this is the one that consistently seems to rise to the top.
The breadth of coverage is good overall, with particular strengths in cell, molecular, and physiology sections of the text. It's the one we chose to use in our year-long intro to biology majors course.
Not everything is roses, however. For one thing, compared to other sections of the text the section on animal diversity is brief (perhaps unavoidably so)...after all, no book can be all things to all people. The section on ecology is also a bit light compared to other sections of the text. That's not surprising, since many intro courses these days don't touch much on ecology...more's the pitty.
The two biggest challenges associated with this book are it's mass, and massive price tag (not unique among textbooks today). I have a difficult time sitting in a reading chair and getting into a comfortable position with this block of paper on my lap or in my hands. It is, as mentioned in at least one other review, just too heavy. The other challenge is the cost. That's an issue with many textbooks today. They are just so expensive that you almost need to take out a loan just to get your books.
Is there a way to get this book in an e-version, so I could load it onto a notebook computer? At least that way the book would be in a computer that would probably weigh less...
There are pros and cons. The pros seem to outweigh the cons for the moment.
One concern I have for the future of this text is that Campbell, the senior author, passed away recently. We'll have to wait and see if subsequent editions are able to maintain the scope and quality of coverage that this and previous editions were able to manage.
5 stars for quality, minus one for weight and cost. 4 stars.
Alan Holyoak (Biol Prof)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Must for all Bio students, October 1, 2005

By M. C. Kim "Biblomania" (Davis, CA) - See all my reviews

(REAL NAME)

My school UC Davis uses this book and gosh, the book is perfect after all in explaining the principles and concepts of biology. We only covered first 20 chapters in one quarter but by looking at how the book is outlined and written, I can see that the rest of the book will be great. I did not stumble much in reading and figures makes the subject much easier to digest. Oh, the CD that came with book is soooo helpful for the midterms. Not only does it check your reading, but also it quizzes your thinking process involved with the chapter concept.
The only drawback i see is that the book can be heavy and expensive. Other than that, all the biology books I have ever read so far, this is simply the BEST...