Essential Cell Biology, 4th Edition

I am currently renting this book from Amazon ( I think) and the experience is as follows:Pros1. Exceptional readability, for some reason the authors manage to keep your attention better than most texts, especially since it is cell bio we are talking about.2. Graphics are great and very helpful / clear. Instead of serving an almost purely aesthetic function like many texts, the figures summarize the "big picture" processes or subjects in a clear memorable manner3. The book is not cheaply made and consists of durable hardback.4. It's one of the few hard copy textbooks I get to use this semester so the away-from-computer time is much appreciated not to mention the lack of need to charge the book.Cons1. Heavy- Good or bad thing. For me I couldn't care less as I am just happy to be reading a physical book again (schools are really shifting towards poorly functioning, non-versatile, e-texts).2. Though not having to do directly with the book content, I did not expect a brand new book to come by any means. However, the vast majority of the book is thoroughly highlighted. Evidently the previous user reads through the tip of a highlighter, of a rainbow of colors whose designation I have yet to determine. Every...single....word is highlighted as you might imagine this took some getting used to as text would shift from neon green to neon yellow to dark blue to pink and on. I'll re-update if they try to charge me for the highlighting massacre.

I've never felt the need to review a textbook before, but this one deserves praise. It's an absolutely fascinating read. The authors really do keep you interested even when explaining complex and abstract ideas (I mean, c'mon, there's genetic elements that literally just up and move around genomes. That's crazy to even think about). Obviously there's scientific jargon, but the authors have made it easy to understand. Examples of the topics are abundant and the figures and tables are all very useful in making these topics make sense. The number of times I've stopped reading to sit and think "Holy guacamole, so THAT'S how that works"... I'd recommend this textbook to anyone studying molecular or cell biology. I rented it, and that price was totally reasonable, as most Amazon textbook rentals are. I'm just very impressed that the authors could take a field of study that has so many (literally) teeny-tiny details and make it easy to comprehend and legitimately enjoyable to read.

A phenomenal book that is great for any undergraduate (or even high school) student who wants to strengthen their conceptual understanding of biology. Easy read an explains everything in an undertstndable, universal way, even when going over the basics. You could honestly start your biology career by first reading this, despite it really being a book on cell biology.Really can't recommend this book enough, Finally made me understand the "why's" of biology instead of blind memorization. 5/5

There were flaws in the binding and some dented pages, but nothing that couldn't be hiden by using a cover. A few too many highlight marks made it hard to focus on the sentences I was trying to read, but if that doesn't bother you then it should be a good (and a cheaper alternative to buying) fit.

Alberts team have written and edited a masterful body of work that is an improvement over the last edition which was superb. Everything is discussed well and without unnecessary jargon. The illustrations help to convey the three dimensions of molecular biology and the question bank with the text available online is again well done. The number 5-8 minute videos are what I rely enjoy learning from as with the third edition. For those physicians who need to keep tabs on molecular biology look no further this will get the job well done for you and you will prosper and enjoy its teachings.

I don't really think these textbooks need reviews; if your teacher says you gotta buy it you gotta buy it. But I think this book is well written and easy to read while it contains a lo of information.

This book is what I call the annotated version of The Cell. It has the "essentials" with enough figures to help you understand the basics. I found that the descriptions of some of the concepts were lacking in the amount of detail I was expected to understand in my class. If this is a required book for your class, you should read through the chapters before class and write down a list of concepts not explained in detail that you can ask your professor to elaborate on so you don't spend hours researching literature online without a sense of direction in order to master the material.

Most of the chapters are repetitive and could have been organized more concisely, but explanations were thorough and easy to understand. My roommate had the 5th edition and we couldn't notice the difference. The 4th edition did the job for my cell bio class.