Book Description

No other single volume on native plants has such comprehensive horticultural coverage. Nearly seven hundred species of native trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, grasses, and wildflowers from the northeastern quarter of the United States and all of eastern Canada are included. Of course, the natural ranges of many of the plants extend beyond this area, and the book is an essential resource for everyone interested in gardening with native plants of all kinds, as well as those who need the information provided here for habitat restoration and enhancement of biodiversity for the sake of conservation. Natural plant communities of eastern North America are described, providing a foundation for the choice of plants for different areas and climates---or a variety of sites in the garden---as well as for restoration of native plant habitats. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, the encyclopedic portion of the book includes practical advice on cultivation and propagation in addition to descriptions, ranges, and information on hardiness. An appendix recommends particular plants for difficult situations and for attracting butterflies, hummingbirds, and other wildlife. Written from the unique perspective of an author who has professional credentials in horticulture, botany, forestry, and ecology as well as hands-on practical experience, this book is the most trustworthy single source for all who wish to cultivate native plants. ... Read more

Book Description

Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers’ genes far and wide. In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a
similarly reciprocal relationship. He masterfully links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also done well by them. So who is really domesticating whom? ... Read more

Reviews (95)

A good read, and very informative
I read this book after hearing a talk by Pollan on New Dimensions radio (in their "Bioneers" series), and I found it (like his talk) perfectly delightful. I don't agree that his use of science is misleading: he's done his homework and researched his subjects pretty thoroughly, and if he takes sides on an issue (e.g., anti-pesticide and anti-genetic-engineering), it's a reasoned conclusion rather than an unthinking bias. The book is anecdotal and impressionistic, not a closely-reasoned scientific argument, but I felt that its rather loose structure worked well: it's a fun read, he kept me interested all the way through, and I learned a surprising amount about history, botany, and horticulture. I've read several accounts of the Potato Famine, but Pollan's "take" on it was intriguing: he sees it as the world's most ghastly example of the dangers of monoculture, and I agree that it's a lesson we all need to take to heart. (But it's also a case of How A Fungus Changed The World: if the potato blight hadn't dispersed the Irish all over the world, many countries -- in Latin America, as well as the obvious contenders, Australia and the U.S. -- would be very different today.) The book is easy to read and amusing, but he also makes some important points, and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

Conversational prose, brimming with allusions
I just finished this lovely little book,and would highly reccommend it. If nothing else, this book prepares one for many interesting conversations. I am now knowledgable about the true Johnny Appleseed, the tulip craze of Holland, the highly specialized marijuana culture, and new developments in the genetic engineering of potatoes. (To name a few!)
The fact that Pollan is not a scientist, but an avid gardener and researcher, among other things, should be considered an asset to the reader. He avoids esoteric scientific terminology, but the text remains sophisticated because his allusions prove huge amounts of research. Each part of the book, each "desire", has its own special charm. I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite. This book truly opens one's eyes to "a plant's-eye view of the world". Though by no means the be-all-end-all on this topic, it is a beautiful natural history.

How passionate are you about plants?
Pollan's book was pleasurable and engaging to read. It is a book that got me to think and expanded my perspective. It places our relationship with plants in specific contexts, with a unique hybrid of sociological and genetic prose. Recommended highly for those passionate about gardening, nature, or food.

Nature and Culture from a Gardener's Perspective
While you probably wouldn't want to use "The Botany of Desire" for scientific research purposes, this excellent nonfiction book effectively combines elements of science with those of history, cultural theory and mythology (from the early Greek to the Frontier American varieties). The tone is casual, not scholarly. Pollan is also a gardener, and his passion for growing things and his curiosity about life from the plant's-eye view shines through his text.
"The Botany of Desire" is a nonfiction book with an innovative structure: instead of telling a straight chronological story of the domestication of plants, Pollan instead selects four plants and tells each of their stories in turn, describing how their progress through the world has been shaped by human desires -- and the changes in those desires through history.
This book is also a travelogue of sorts: Pollan journeys through the Midwest in search of Johnny Appleseed's true life story, to Holland for the Cannabis Cup and the historical sites of "tulipomania," and to corporate factory forms to learn about genetic modification of the potato.
Most importantly, Pollan shows us around his own garden and introduces us to the plants that live there. Each of the four historical narratives begins and ends with the plant's history in his own backyard. As a host and a travel guide, Pollan takes on a fascinating journey through time, nature and culture.

I highly recommend this book to plant lovers and gardeners of all varieties, and to those who are interested in the shaping of nature by cultural forces (and vice versa). If this isn't you, it would still probably make a great gift for someone you know.

fascinating page turner
Wildly Enthusiastic Recommend: Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
This book is really different from your average reading fare. It's a delightful mix of facts both scientific and historical, fantastical meanderings, and just plain fun. The catching premise is that plants have co-opted man into promoting their prosperity. Pollan uses four plants to illustrate this premise: apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes. Each chapter is a wonderfully readable story about the plant and its history intertwined with its relationship to man. The apple chapter has amazing information about Johnny Appleseed, and because as a child I wanted to be Johnny Appleseed, I found this fascinating. It reinforced my belief that I had good instincts as a kid. Then the tulip chapter gives you the details of tulip-mania in the Netherlands in the 1600s (think Internet bubble), making it seem amazing that this sort of thing keeps happening. The marijuana chapter is the funniest and most sinister in that it makes you want to get some good stuff, now. The potato chapter is the scariest - genetically modified foods. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great atlas for histology
I found this book to be a great resource for my medical histology class. The pictures helped me to remember key concepts for on my histology lab. The difference between squamous and transitional epithelium can really only be appreciated with the help of this atlas since it is harder to describe it in words. If you really want to know the type of medical histology questions asked on histology medical exams, get the following which is on amazon:
Histology Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers by Patrick Leonardi
This study guide helped me to know what type of questions to prepare for on my exams. I give both books 5 stars.

Excellent source for medical students
Excellent photomicrographs with explanations of each. Good review of each subject at each chapter. Can be used alone as a review book.

excellent atlas
The atlas was excellent and easy to refer to. The text, while usable, is brief and has much more information than was necessary at my undergraduate medical level. I recommend using this as an atlas and using a different text (such as Wheater) for accompanying explanations. ... Read more

Book Description

This text is intended for introductory courses in forest measurements. Emphasis is on the measurement of timber, with detailed coverage on measuring products cut from tree boles, measuring attributes of standing trees, inventorying volumes of forest stands, and predicting growth of individual trees and stands of trees. Background information on statistial methods, sampling designs, land measurements, and use of aerial photographs is also provided. An introduction to assessing range, wildlife, water, and recreation resources associated with forested lands comprises the last chapter. The measurement principles and techniques discussed apply to any inventory that includes assessment of the tree overstory, regardless of whether the inventory is conducted for timber, range, wildlife, watershed, recreation, or other management objectives. ... Read more

Book Description

This lab manual is for a one or two-semester majors level general biology lab and can be used with any majors-level general biology textbook. The labs are investigative and ask students to use more critical thinking and hands-on learning. The author emphasizes investigative, quantitative, and comparative approaches to studying the life sciences. ... Read more

Book Description

Recognized as the most readable of doctoral and medical texts on the neuroscience and physiology of audiology, this text has been updated in an information-packed second edition.Presenting articles by experts on the frontlines of clinical care and research, the book covers the history of the science and medicine of hearing through expectations for tomorrow's pragmatic care. Sound and bone conduction, signal processing, auditory stimulus coding, cochlear blood circulation and auditory brain mapping are covered. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of Best Review Books
I got this Book during the AAO meeting in Denver. I started reading it and reviewing during my rounds and Case presentations. It has excellent and valuable information on Many topics in addition to physiology. I found it comprehensive, yet easy to read. Several of my Colleagues saw the book and are buying it. I now keep it as a main otology reference on my shelf. ... Read more

Book Description

The most problematic of territories for the pathologist -- theborderland between histology and pathology -- is the focus of thisgroundbreaking reference. Innovative, organized and generouslyillustrated, this essential guide brings together the leadinginternational specialists in pathology, histopathology, anatomicalpathology, surgical pathology, and neuropathology. These expertsdescribe, in concise detail, the histologic structure, composition, andfunction of tissues from the perspective of most value to thepathologist. Completely revised and updated for the Second Edition,Histology for Pathologists continues to provide a complete, systematicreview of each of the major organ systems, with additional coverage onstructures of special significance. It offers illuminating insightsinto the histologic subtleties that frequently elude the nonhistologist-- unusual variations in staining reactions, little-known fixationartifacts, and even frequently missed gross observations. Novice andexperienced pathologists alike will find extraordinary wisdom and keencounsel in this easy-access guide. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

What is a Pathology intern?
Practical, helpful, useful book. An excellent, wise choice; you won't be disappointed.
I'm a bit puzzled by a phrase in the previous reviewer's review, however: What is a pathology intern?
As someone who did a year of internal medicine (that is, an internship) before going on to pathology residency, and who now works with pathology residents, I'd like to point out that, as far as I can tell, there is no comparison between the first year in internal medicine, or surgery, or pediatrics (that is, the internship), and the first year of pathology training (called simply the first year of residency).
My internship year was the first year that the term "internship" was officially supposed to be NOT used; rather, we were to be referred to as "first-postgraduate-year" or "level I" residents, or something like that.
Typical foolishness from folks with too much free time.
Guess what: we were still referred to as; were still treated as; still referred to ourselves as; and still worked the ridiculously, unreasonably, brutally long hours of: ...interns.
Anyway, a great book - buy it, and use it.

Great choice for the Pathology intern
If you are a pathology intern or resident, this book was written just for you. How many of us graduate from medical school and remember basic histology? My guess would be few to none. The book is organized into sections based on organ systems and further subdivided into chapters on specific organs within those systems. It provides a "refresher" about the embryology and gross appearance of a particular organ before launching into the histology, and most people could probably use the review. The color pictures are excellent, and, in my opinion, a MUST for any book detailing histology; black and white photos just don't help me very much at this early stage in my career because they don't convey the details the way color photos do.

My only complaint is that the book has no photos that display the tissues as we actually see them in surgical pathology. For example, when I look at pictures of the histology of the colon, I would like to see a few shots of biopsied tissue rather than tissue that has been nicely sectioned from a colectomy specimen. Often, the tissue received for histology review is just a small fragment that is frequently missing some layers or may be crushed in areas, and it would be beneficial to see photos of the histologic appearance of these tissue fragments. That being said, the book is sometimes helpful in its written descriptions of artifact that may occur during tissue processing, and there are a few photos to go along with these descriptions. Perhaps I'm a little greedy in my desire for more photos, but someone once said that a picture is worth a thousand words!

Don't buy this book to learn pathology; buy it to learn normal histology.

Too expensive, too voluminous, a bit boring, not great.
It is not easy to write a good histology book. Most histologists are not pathologists, and do not know a bit about real histology. These guys are M.D.'s, but because there many of them, the book is not a great success. E.g. there is no Toker cell, try to find a Merkel cell (not in the index, present in text).

Great text for path residents
One of the most difficult parts of starting a path residency is knowing what is normal. This book is perfect as a review book and also during the residency.
I have reffered to it many times and feel it is an indispensible part of a pathologists library.

Indespensible when you need a comprehensive histology source
This is a well organized text/atlas of histology that includes a modicum of histopathology as well. In my experience as a PGY-3 pathology resident, I don't refer to it very often, but when I do I find it to be indespensible. I have not come across any histology book that is quite so comprehensive. In addition, it serves as a fairly good quality atlas. My only criticism is that I would have liked to see more charts and tables with regard to immunohistochemistry and special stains. ... Read more

Book Description

Among animals used in research, teaching and testing, mice are now widely recognized as the most important model for human diseases and disorders.They comprise the majority of all experimental mammals and tend to be the model of choice used for research into many diseases/disorders including cancer, heart disease, asthma, Alzheimer's, Down syndrome, deafness, osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes and even mental health research. Additionally the laboratory mouse continues to play a widely publicized vital role in the human genome project.

One of the most time-consuming activities in research laboratories is looking up information specific to the species or strain of animal being used. This book, part of the highly successful Handbook of Experimental Animals series, allows the user quick access to any point of interest on the mouse as an experimental model.

* Edited by Hans Hedrich, Hannover Medical School
* Comprehensive reference source written by international experts
* Well-illustrated with high quality detailed images
* Two-color, user-friendly format combined with color plate sections ... Read more

Book Description

The Sibley Guide to Birds has quickly become the new standard of excellence in bird identification guides, covering more than 810 North American birds in amazing detail. Now comes a new portable guide from David Sibley that every birder will want to carry into the field. Compact and comprehensive, this new guide features 703 bird species plus regional populations found west of the Rocky Mountains. Accounts include stunningly accurate illustrations—more than 4,600 in total—with descriptive caption text pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry contains new text concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. Accounts also include brand-new maps created from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent.

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America is an indispensable resource for all birders seeking an authoritative and portable guide to the birds of the West. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Exceptional
The larger Sibley field guide caused quite a stir but it was also a bit of a bear, in terms of size. The smaller guides that focus on east and west, are much easier to carry. Everything about them is, really, as good as it gets: the paintings, the maps, the descriptions - a top quality product.

An excellent followup to the Sibley Guide to Birds
My main problem with the original Sibley Guide to Birds has been its size. While it is an excellent and comprehensive reference, it is just too bulky to carry in the field. Sibley found the answer in coming out with separate guides for East and West. The new western guide, a wonderful addition to the Sibley family, contains updated nomenclature and range maps. Also, it contains only western birds and those eastern birds that have have shown up in the west as accidentals. It leaves out the eastern birds that have never been seen in the west before, thus saving time when using the book to ID a bird in the field. The biggest advantage is the smaller size which actually makes it feasible to carry in the field without nearly as much difficulty. Although there is a loss of detail compared to the original Sibley guide, this is a small price to pay for the portability of the smaller size. For the serious birder I would recommend getting both this book (for the field) and the originaly Sibley Guide to Birds (for a reference), but otherwise this book (or its eastern counterpart depending on where you live) is definitely the way to go for a comprehensive, portable field guide.

Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western NA
Overall a very good book. Species maps are on the same pages as the species accounts so there is no extra flipping to find the map. However, I have noticed that many colors in this guide are very muted. I work at several bird-banding stations and have held live birds up to the color pictures and notice quite a difference. Sibley's colors are not nearly as vibrant as the reall thing, giving an inaccurate impression of some of the colors.

Finally a pocket sized Sibley
This guide is well layed out,provides excellent pictures and text and is the perfect in the field answer to The Sibley Guide To Birds.

Not Quite Peterson!
Sibley has done a great job of putting pictures, text and maps together in this guide. Regrettably, though, all that info. on 1/2 a page (2 species per page) makes it difficult to see/read; especially with older eyes.

In addition, I still think Peterson's paintings are the best in presenting the birds in a manner closest to how they look in the field. Sibley's paintings are a bit stark compared to the real thing. On a recent trip to Madera Canyon, I noted this when looking, in particular, at a Lazuli Bunting, and a Rufous-Winged Sparrow.

Sibley's new guide is very good, but I still keep "Roger" in the fanny pack, and Sibley back in the car as reference.

Good birding. ... Read more

Book Description

---Comprehensive: 500+ species photographs, covering all popular and commonly available aquarium species ---Authoritative: expert advice on feeding and captive care ---Informative: aquarium suitability ratings for every species ---Easy to use: complete species name and common name indexes ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Really Great Reference.
I love this book. So far it contained all the fishes that I have seen at my local fish store and the best feature of the book is that it rates each fish from 1 to 5 where 5 indicates that it is an easy fish to keep alive in the aquarium, and 1 means it is hard to keep alive in an aquarium... This is great for me because I don't have the best track record with keep my fish alive and want to only buy fish which are easy to keep. The notes about each fish are really good to. It is like having 20 aquarium guru's giving you their experiences with each fish. Also, if you have a reef setup, it tells you if each fish is reef safe.

Value for your aquarium dollar
Interested in setting up a Fish Only Marine aquarium? Concerned about fish that will be compatible with the invertebrates in your Reef aquarium? Want to expand your knowledge beyond the 10 basic marine fish that your local aquarium store has in stock? Then this is a good book to consider. Loaded with full color pictures (on glossy paper)of marine fish, the book gives a concise summary of hundreds of these salt water inhabitants. The book itself is easier to handle than the smaller dimension Baensch Atlas and the print is larger. And the price is good value for your aquarium dollar. Bring this book with you to the aquarium store, and when you see that incredibly beautiful marine fish that you have never seen before, a quick read in this book will give you some of the information you will need to make an informed decision as to whether this fish will fare well in your aquarium at home.

The Picky Specifics Need Work
This book has some very good features and will almost certainly be useful to beginning and even intermediate marine aquarists. It has entries on most of the fishes likely to be found in the average aquarium retail shop accompanied by truly excellent photos for each species. The book's best feature is its reef compatibility entry which details which fishes are totally reef safe, which will eat soft corals or Large Polyped Stony corals but not Small Polyped Stony corals, and which will simply devour every invertebrate in the tank. I also like the rating (from 1 to 5) of each species' ease of maintenance in the captive environment, though the reader must always keep in mind that this is a general rating and that numerous variables (collection methods, shipping speed, water quality and live food availability, etc., etc.) can alter such a rating considerably. As a marine hobbyist, I would say this is a good book. As a marine biologist, however, I would caution the reader to beware of some misspelling of scientific names (the genus Macolor is listed as Malcolor, and there are a few others), the fact that the "maximum lengths" listed for many of the species are rather small according to other sources (also keep in mind that healthy fishes never truly stop growing), and the very general home range listed for each species (the "Indo-Pacific" is rather vague, to my mind). That said, I have gotten much use out of this book, and find it a good reference when the cautions mentioned above are held in mind.

Start here!
This book is a great start when trying to decide what marine fish to buy. It is handy to take with you to the fish store. There are certainly other great sources of more comprehensive & definitive information about specific fish, but anyone looking to buy saltwater fish should start here.

The author, Scott W. Michael, is a renowned expert in this field. He has more than 25 years experience as an aquarist and diver. He has written several other books and contributes regularly to Aquarium Fish Magazine.

I'm sure lokking forward to Ron Shimek's invetebrate guide. It should be a great companion to this one, having also been written by an expert on that topic. Unfortunately, it has been "coming soon" for more than a year.

Keep in mind it is a pocket guide.
As long as you keep in mind that the book is under the PocketExpert Guide series then you will know what you are getting. The book does have over 500 + popular marine species but doesnt give more than very general information about each species. There are also some listings with no other information than it's photo, scientific name and its tank suitablity rank. In conclusion, its a good general book but I'll probably look for another fish book. ... Read more

Book Description

Trees are vital to the healthy functioning of the global ecosystem and unparalleled in the range of materials they provide for human use. This volume is a comprehensive introduction to the natural history of trees, with information on all aspects of tree biology and ecology in easy-to-read and concise language.Peter Thomas uncovers fascinating insights into these ubiquitous plants, addressing in an illuminating way questions such as how trees are designed, how they grow and reproduce, and why they eventually die. Written for a nontechnical audience, the book is nonetheless rigorous in its treatment and a valuable source of reference for beginning students as well as interested lay readers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Learn 1,000 new things!!!
This is an amazing book!! Every page expands what you thought you knew. How do they get that water up 100+ feet? Why are trees deciduous? (Better questions are how many ways they are deciduous, and why, and what does deciduous really mean anyway?) This will make any hike you take more interesting, any tree rings you inspect simply fascinating.

Root and branch!
Trees: Their Natural History by Peter Thomas is a significant book for any student of trees or enthusiast for dendrology. The structure, function and life-cycle of trees is covered with warmth, perception and with authority. The writing is accessible although there are perhaps a few too many jokes. Despite this drawback the book is full of good reference material, thankfully lacking the homey philosophy and proselytizing of other writers in aboriculture. ... Read more

Book Description

This versatile laboratory manual can be used with any undergraduate microbiology text and course. Known for its brief laboratory activities, minimal equipment requirements, and competitive price, the manual includes a variety of experiments selected to assist in the teaching of basic principles and techniques. Each of the 77 experiments includes an overview, a purpose, an in-depth discussion of the principle involved, easy-to-follow procedures, and lab reports with review and critical thinking questions. Comprehensive introductory material and laboratory safety instructions are provided.For college instructors and students. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive and highly-popularbook is dedicated to the rehabilitationand habilation of the speech andhearing impaired.A solid foundation of anatomy andphysiologyare not the only things this book provides!also included are moreadvanced topics such as respiration, phonation, articulation, neurology, andhearing.This exceptional read is perfect for newspeech-language pathologists, audiologists, deaf interpreters, physicians, ear,nose, and throat specialists, and others interested in speech and hearingdisorders. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

One of the best A&P books for SLPs!
This book was required reading in my graduate program and I am thrilled that it was! I have worked in both acute care as well as school settings and have found this book to be extremely helpful from both ends of the spectrum. An absolutely fantastic desk reference, especially in the acute care setting!

A good friend
I knew Mr. Zemlin personally when he lived in Brimson Minnesota. I saw the first edition when he first got it off the press and I was very impressed. Sorry to say that Mr. Zemlin has since passed away in 1998. His knowledge of a&p was far greater than any other person I have ever known.

I'm glad my professor chose this book for the class
This book is probably the best a&p book for the speech and hearing sciences. It is difficult to read at first, I will not life to you about that, but it is comprehensive, and you will learn a lot. What I like best is the book being divided into systems: respiratory, phonatory, articulatory, etc., because that is a good way to study, in systems, and then you can relate one system to another, and so on. ... Read more

Book Description

The Immune System, Second Edition has been designed foruse in immunology courses for undergraduate, medical, dental, and pharmacy students. This class-tested andsuccessful textbook synthesizes the established facts of immunology into a comprehensible, coherent, and up-to-date account of how the immune system works, rather than presenting immunology as a chronology of experiments and discoveries. Emphasizing the human immune system the text has been designed to break down the barriers which often divide basic and clinical immunology. The reader-friendly text, section and chapter summaries, and full-color illustrations make the book accessible and easily understandable to students. The Immune System is adapted from Immunobiology by Janeway, Travers & Walport.

New in the Second Edition:

-Inclusion of end-of-chapter questions throughout the book. Questions consist of a mix of clinical and basic science. Detailed answers to all questions are provided in the back of the book.

-Completely updated throughout.

-Even greater emphasis on human immunity.

-Enhanced and revised treatment of the complement system,including new figures and icons to clarify concepts.

-Increased emphasis on human genetics throughout the book.

-Expanded and updated treatment of innate immunity,particularly the mucosal system. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Best immunology book!
This is the best immunology book out there for the aspiring medical student. Well written, easy read, concise. During the first years of medical school you need sources that deliver information in a quick, organized manner and this book delivers! Don't think about any other immunology textbook.

Fun to read textbook
I borrowed this book from a prof who was reviewing it for the next time he taught immunology. I used it to gear myself up for two presentations and papers in biochem and cell/molecular biology. Having no experience in immunology but a solid backgroudn in biochem and biology, I found it incredibly easy to read, yet has all the details and mechanisms necessary for one to read and understand research papers in immunology. The picture and graphics are fantastic. It is concise without skipping so much detail as to lose the reader. I wish all my textbooks were written this well. It ties in material from biochemisty and cell biology as well as genetics. It would be a wonderful text for an upper level undergraduate immunology course.

Better than most immunology textbooks
Excellent text that includes the most current information on a subject that is constantly evolving. More easy to read than most immunology texts. Good reference book.

It is exepcional book for Immmunoloy
This book is very easy and useful because it has exepcional picture and every topic about fundamental Immunology is here. The form to reveal very aspect to Molecular Immunology make this book very important for ungrate and not ungrate students. ... Read more

Book Description

Genetics: Analysis and Principles is a one-semester, introductory genetics textbook that takes an experimental approach to understanding genetics.By weaving one or two experiments into the narrative of each chapter, students can simultaneously explore the scientific method and understand the genetic principles that have been learned from these experiments. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent text for self-directed learning
I used this textbook in a distance learning course and have found it to be invaluable to my learnng experience.

For anyone who has taken Genetics, you'll account for the fact that it is not an easy course. Taking it without a professor present is even more challenging. Luckily this text is well written and easy to follow. The author uses a mix of theory and experiment examples to drive important concepts home. The language is not dry like in many Biology texts. Instead, it is easy to read, almost to the point of being enjoyable.

There are a few things I really liked:
1. The illustrations in this book are paramount to learning difficult concepts. When explaining experimental procedures, the text is accompanied by step-by-step instuctions and illustrations as to how the experiment was carried out. This proved helpful in visualizing the procedure.
2. Each chapter is well organized and easy to understand. The author speaks in easy to understand terms (that is if you have had previous Biology courses.) His writing style is dynamic and never boring.
3. Difficult concepts are often explained more than once. Sometimes the book gets a little ahead of itself, but page numbers and chapters are always given so you can read about things you don't understand.
4. The end of each chapter provides the reader with provocative critical thinking questions that solidify important points from the chapter. Best of all, even numbered answers are given in the back so you can check yourself without hunting through the book.

Overall I'd give this book an A and it will remain in my collection of Biology texts.

The Best Undergraduate Textbook I've Seen for Genetics
I've just completed my first semester teaching Genetics at a small liberal arts college in Indiana. Because I was jumping into the position I was stuck using the text previously designed for the class. Almost a third of the book was classical genetics, which I enjoy, but was certainly overplayed. Molecular Biology areas were a jumble of terms to learn and lists to inscribe into their brains. The problems in the book did not reflect the material in the text, leaving the class pretty much upset with the book. By midterm it was time to find another sources for the class.

I found myself reaching for other texts, and "Genetics, Analysis and Principles" turned out to be the jewel. It is well balanced, very clearly written, and does not spend its time making students read long memory lists of genes or proteins that the class is going to forget less than two weeks after the term. I think this is largely reflected by the way he wrote the book; with input from students.

Reading the intro I was afraid that this text was going to be way over into the experimental design/ data side which I've seen in other texts mean "no content". Not so this text; experimental design has been written into the book to describe genetics and content, not replace it. I think what is truely unique about this book is the use of scientific process as a way to teach concepts. I wish I had more books like this one for other courses. I hope Dr. Brooker's format for Biology (and yes other science courses) is adopted for other courses.

If you are considering a text for your Genetics classes, I think you will be very pleased with this book. ... Read more

Book Description

The Only Authoritative, Comprehensive, Up-to-Date Guide to Glycemic Index Values—A Companion to the New York Times Bestseller The New Glucose Revolution

The glycemic index (GI)—an easy-to-understand measure of how different foods affect our blood glucose levels—is revolutionizing the way we eat. Now medical experts and health authorities around the world advocate using GI values in making daily food decisions—so it’s never been more important to understand how to choose and benefit from low-GI foods. The New Glucose Revolution Complete Guide to Glycemic Index Values provides GI values for hundreds of foods and beverages. Included are three easy-to-read tables: an A to Z listing, a comprehensive listing by food categories, and a handy, at-a-glance table sorted according to low, intermediate and high GI values. Each entry in every table also specifies serving size, net carbohydrate per serving, and the glycemic load, which is clearly explained. Also included in the book are two GI Food Pyramids, specially created by the authors, to help guide you to appropriate daily food choices. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Too technical
Even though the book contains alot of useful information--if you are a scientist, I found it to be frustrating for someone trying to manage a weight loss program. My mistake was to purchase this book before the program book. I am hoping it will be a better reference tool than an explanation for a diet.

Never heard of most products
I had high hopes for this glycemic index to food products. However, most items listed seem to be from Australia, Canada and South Africa and I don't recognize the brand names. The book does not have enough useful information. I am very disappointed.

Helpful information... if you're in Australia
I had searched far and wide for a good listing of foods by Glycemic LOAD (different from glycemic index). This book does have a really nice compilation that includes glycemic load and glycemic index as well as net carb count all in one chart. The frustrating part is that it is focused more on Canadian and Australian products than on United States. Many of the items that are listed are not available here. But it IS better than anything I've been able to find thus far.

More, Please
What we need is more. More specific results, more numbers for foods available in the US, more specific name-brand items, more, more, much more. Yes, I realize that research is time-consuming and expensive. I realize this is the best available resource. But we need more...

Just for fun, you should read the South Beach Diet book for contrast. This book (NGR) looks to me to have a more balanced, long term approach whereas the SBD seems to be focused on those that want fast results. Following the NGR guidelines, it seems like I eat more than I used to and am full more often, but I've lost 30 pounds over the last 4 months. ... Read more

Book Description

In this classic study, the world's leading expert on language and the mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about languages: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it envolved.  With wit, erudition, and deft use it everyday examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution like web spinning in spiders or sonar bats.  The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America.

Reviews (78)

Despite Excellent Arguments, Some Readers Miss the Point
This is a superb introduction to generative linguistics (both phonology and syntax). Pinker has successfully simplified most of the complex methodological and notational issues to make these somewhat opaque fields more accessible to lay readers. As such, this is an ideal introductory text and a good reference for linguistic types who have had to forego the Ivory Tower but who want to keep their feet wet. What this text is not is an advanced, graduate-level text--and so don't expect that. If you've read any other book on generative theory (or better yet, minimalist theory), this book is backstepping. (Note that the negative reviewers of this title are also showing off how "advanced" they are--thereby missing the very point to this text!) On the other hand, if you're fascinated by language at all, no matter the reason, you owe it to yourself to try this text out. I have colleagues in non-linguistics fields of study (particularly literature) who don't understand why language isn't static, why the idea of "grammaticality" changes over time--or that Black Vernacular English and Sign Language are as well grammared as "standard" English. If you've been curious about any of these issues or more--buy and read "The Language Instinct."

Fascinating, but certainly not "light reading"
This book was instructive, well written, fascinating, and mostly comprehensible. I say "mostly" comprehensible because the detail required to discuss something as complex as language means that the reader is asked to remember and understand all those school terms from writing class that most of us quickly forget - case, nominative, accusative, prepositions, phonemes, indirect objects, participles, auxiliaries, articles, determiners, intransitives, and the like. Fortunately, Pinker is lucid and practical, providing a glossary (which is needed for repeated referral while slogging through some parts of the book) and plenty of down to earth examples to demonstrate his points. He makes a strong case for humans having a language instinct, and does so in a very engaging fashion. I found the book entertaining and full of fun, a genial approach for the thoughtful ruminations about the fascinating reality of language. I wasn't convinced by his arguments in chapter 11 on 'The Big Bang', but the rest of the book won me over. This book requires concentration to read and determination to finish, but is well worth the effort to do both.

I disagree with one reviewer (taking time for one)
The reader, for example from Glasgow Kentucky claims that Pinker's book is a populist account rather than the writing of a professional linguist? Yes, there is debate as to innateness in language, and yes there are professionals on both sides of the debate. To claim that Pinker isn't a professional linguist belies a rather superficial reading of the book, as well as the book's jacket, clearly denoting Pinker's professional qualifications on the knowledge.

As for the "contractions violating universal grammar" in BVE, may I suggest a rereading of the chapter...that's not what he claimed.

But, I do side with the reviewer that I've cited, that they should read Educating Eve, to get both sides of the story, but please be careful to get "both sides" correct...

Insightful and packed full of very interesting examples.
For a non-technical and non-orthodox introduction to the origins and characteristics of language this book is excellent. It could be read by anyone who is curious about linguistics as understood by an expert, but whose ideas on the subject are considered somewhat unconventional from the standpoint of modern research in linguistics. Indeed, the very title of this book may raise many an eyebrow from some entrenched schools of modern linguistics. The author though has written a highly interested book here, and after reading it one carries away a deep appreciation of the complexities of language.

Some of more interesting and surprising facts that are discussed in the book include: 1. There has never been a tribe or group discovered that does not use language, and there is no evidence that a particular geographical region has acted as source of language that is spread to groups that previously did not use language. These facts do lend credence to the author's thesis that language is instinctual. 2. The level of industrialization or technology of a society apparently is not correlated with the complexity of the language used by that society. Examples of this are given, such as the Bantu language in Tanzania, whose resemblance to English is compared to the difference between chess and checkers. In addition, the author dispels the myth that individuals in the "lower classes" of society do not speak as eloquently or with as much sophistication as the "middle classes". The Black English Vernacular or BEV is cited as an example, and the author quotes studies that indicate higher frequency of grammatical sentences in working-class speech than in middle-class speech. 3. As further evidence to support his thesis that language is instinctual, the author points to the universality of language and language development in children (the latter being his specialty). Interestingly, he states that children reinvent language not because they are "smart" but because "they can't help it." In more than one place in the book he expresses his belief that intelligence is not needed for the acquisition of language. If it indeed it is not, this gives an interesting twist to the current efforts in artificial intelligence to produce machines that are capable of ordinary language. A machine therefore may be designated as "intelligent" even though it does not have ordinary language capabilities. An immediate consequence of this is that one cannot take the absence of the language ability in machines as evidence that they are not intelligent, as is done many times in the literature that is critical of AI. 4. The discussion of 'pidgins' and the 'creole' that results when children make them their native tongue. The author cites the construction of these creoles as further evidence of his thesis, for children can take the simple pidgin word strings and without any coaching develop a highly sophisticated, very expressive language. Another example of a pidgin, also discussed by the author, is the independent development of sign language by deaf Nicaraguan children after the failure of teaching them speech reading. This eventually resulted in the Lenguaje de Signos Nicaraguense or LSN that is used to this day.

It remains to be seen whether the author's thesis will eventually be accepted by future linguists. Further research in neuroscience will no doubt shed light on the real origins of language, and once understood natural language capabilities will no doubt be implemented very straightforwardly in the machines, whether or not it is advantageous or not to have machines with these capabilities.

The Bookselling Instinct
Begin with a title that asserts the conclusion.

Start the book by aligning the author with Chomsky in postulating an innate, universal grammar capacity. The language instinct is indeed already a done deal.

Be guided carefully through selected cases that either seem to confirm the existence of a language instinct or selected cases to discount arguments to the contary.

So do you think we have a language instinct? If so, you are ready for the next sell, the reasoning instinct. And the list of 40 or so other innate capabilities that we all may have.

And we might find the very genes that make this possible. These instincts and genes fortunately don't seem to enslave us (as being conditionable would). They make us free and creative beings. Sound like a great payoff, right?

See how how the mind creates language? By instinct. Not just any instinct, an instinct based on genes. It's all clear now, isn't it? Too deep? If not, you're ready for the actual conclusion: we all have the same mind. So, Pinker affirms, even if you can't understand a New Guinea tribesperson, you can feel comfortable as you listen to him/her that the universal grammar is at work.

We are free and we are all one. Now you don't have to go back to the ancient Greeks or earlier to get that warm message of unity.

Skinner and behaviorism get no creditin this book despite some promising steps by behaviorists with language, such as helping autistic children to speak. It seems hard to deny we have some great capacities and it seems hard to deny that we can be conditioned - being able to be conditioned seems one of our great capacities. Pinker says we are have the same mind, but in this book excludes behaviorist contribution, so I wonder what kind of sameness he has in "mind".

No one should accept this book as adequate. I expect from his credentials and his excellent writing that the author could do a lot better. A science needs to do a lot more than appeal to "instinct", "mind". "freedom" and "oneness". It certainly may seem good to acknowledge we are amazing beings: you may feel warm and cozy when you finish this book, but ask yourself how you can apply what was presented in this book. Move past feeling wonderful about the structure of language and consider how language functions - as B.F. Skinner did in "Verbal Behavior", a less accessible but more useful and scientific try at understanding what we are doing with language.

When we seem not to have many useful answers, it's dangerous to write as if it's all clear. Don't be lulled by Pinker. If you read this book, ask yourself honestly: "Do I understand now how the mind creates language? Can I even see whether the mind creates language?" But first be sure to thank your mother and father for helping you to say "Momma" and "Dada" meaningfully. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

rare and important research
This book distills the research of Weston A. Price, a dentist and independent nutrition researcher. In a decade of travel around the world, Price and his wife studied the health, dietary habits, and chemical composition of food of dozens of traditional peoples of various racial backgrounds. His research was done at a time when many such groups still lived free of the influence of Western civilization and what he called "foods of commerce," i.e. heavily refined and denatured foods.

One could question whether 60 plus year old research is relevant today, but I found his work powerful and persuasive for a very simple reason.

Health problems sent me on a quest to find the best dietary information, but I soon found myself mired in contradictory claims, opposing research and special interest groups, as well as outright deceit. First I would read about how one vitamin or mineral was good for this. Then I would read that the very same item was bad for that. You shouldn't combine X with Y, or needed to add tons of Z or W, except on Sundays when the moon was almost 3/4 full. I became very disillusioned with the incredible complexity of nutrition. As I read more and more deeply, I also became annoyed at all the disinformation and profiteering behind much of the so-called research.

I reached this bottom line: While we understand proteins, carbs, and fats reasonably well, and have a pretty good handle on most vitamins and about a dozen minerals, there is simply an immense amount we just don't know. We are researching minerals at about 5 per decade (around 50 to go - a hundred more years at our current rate). There are around 5000 enzymes in bee pollen alone, and few of them have been researched. There are an unknown number of phytochemicals and other things we have yet to discover that have been constituents of our food for perhaps millions of years. Science moves very slowly, and it could easily be several hundred or 1000 years before we get it all sorted out. And that doesn't take into consideration the power groups who insist on muddying the waters for profit's sake. Modern science is quite obviously incapable of giving us complete answers to our nutritional questions. It just plain doesn't have them to give, nor will it for a long, long time.

Then I found Price's work. Basically, he was the Tony Robbins of diet - he sought out the healthiest people on Earth and studied what they had done for hundreds and thousands of years to stay healthy. He looked at their Traditional diets as well as what happened when they adopted Western diets. The results are in this book, and it is well worth your taking the time to read. While others have followed his work, the changing nature of the world now make it impossible to duplicate his research today. His work stands as a pivotal piece in science and health as well as in history. This represents the cumulative knowledge of millions of people over thousands of years in a laboratory that includes the entire world. Definitely non-trivial.

There are also books by Ronald Schmid and Sally Fallon that introduce and give overviews of Price's work. I recommend them also. Today, when we must all become advocates for our own health, arming yourself with the best information is vital.

Required Reference Material on Health.
This is one of the most amazing books on health I have ever read! Complete with pictures and documentation of various native races and the deterioration of their teeth, face, and bone structure when they went from their "native" diets and switched to "white man's" food. That is, mainly "white" flour, and "white" sugar (as well as other processed food). From this book I learned that these foods alter bone structure in ways not imaginable! Not only ruining the health of natives but destroying their magnificent and perfect teeth, thinning their skulls (and I thought I was a hardhead) and destroying their heritable bone lines within one generation!

If one examines his teeth, one can see the influence of eating these foods. You can even see the devastation in family and friends. Obviously, "enriched" flour still doesn't cut it as WHOLE foods have the right PROPORTIONS of vitamins and minerals. I have since quit eating "health" sugars such as turbinado (it's not whole sugar) and have switched to Rapadura(TM), (it's whole sugar) and avoid white flour and nearly anything processed. This book really explains why we get cavities. We don't need to flouridate the water. There are many other things that Price mentions in his book of the devastation of modern diet too numerous to mention here but important.

Though this book was written in the 1930's it is remarkable how it seems to read like a modern day diet book, sometimes, as it mentions osteoporosis, heart disease and other supposedly "modern" ailments.

Best book I have ever read.
This is not just a book about nutrition, although even in that ambit it is the best of its kind ever published.

This is a book about mankind, human progress, the evil of capitalism, social harmony, the roots of crime, the foundation of happiness.

If what Weston Price had alarmingly brought to our attention in the 1930s about the foods we should not eat had been followed, the people in this world now would be healthy, happy and in harmony. Instead we have a society where 95% are overweight, 60% have vitamin/mineral deficiencies, almost every child need orthodontia, 80% do no daily exercise, etc,etc, etc.

Why has this happened? Capitalism. That creed based on providing us maximally seductive food based on sugar, additives, flour, trans fat, in huge quantities, aggressively marketed to ensure maximum profit to the corporation ( but in the process destroying our health). What a way for human society to run itself!

Best book i've ever read
Hard to believe this was written in the 1930's. The pictures in this book tell everything. Notice how the primitives have perfect teeth, but they never brushed or cleaned them. It's also interesting how the people that ate grains had more cavities than those that didn't eat them. The healthiest folks were the ones that consumed seafood. What suprised me the most is when the author explains how cavities repair themselves when you start eating nutritious food. And there's an x-ray picture there so you can see. This was done on a child, so i don't know if it'll work for adults. I noticed that one of my cavities improved after i started eating healthier (a white layer covered half of it). The author also did a lot of experiments with animals, and there are some weird pictures that show the results. An incredible book!

Required reading
If you have ever questioned why the doctors insist on some of what they insist you eat, read this book. You will be surprised at what you read. It will be the best "second opinion" you've ever heard -- as well as give you some questions to ask your doctor the next time you see him. Of course, as always, check with your doctor but ask him the hard questions. ... Read more

Book Description

The laboratory exercises in this manual are coordinated with Inquiry into Life. The text emphasizes how we can apply biological knowledge to our own lives and to our relationships with other organisms.

Although each laboratory is referenced to the appropriate chapter in Inquiry into Life, this manual may be used in coordination with other general biology texts. This manual can be adapted to a variety of course orientations and designs. There are a sufficient number of laboratories to permit a choice of activities over the length of the course. Many activities may be performed as demonstrations rather than as student activities, thereby shortening the time required to cover a particular concept. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Inquiry into the Life is an excellent lab manual
I have been teaching freshman biology for 15 years.Mader's lab manual is the finest book that I have used.It has informative laboratories with outstanding discussions of the subject being studied.The manual is illustrated attractively, effectively, and amply.I would recommend the lab manual to any freshman biology professor who is interested in traditional labs. ... Read more