Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #752570 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1312 pages

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.

Customer Reviews

A great biology primer
I love the Biology book by Campbell and Reece subtitled 'Concepts & Connections', so I thought I would check out this edition also. I first studied biology nearly twenty-five years ago with a huge and lovely biology book written by an author whose name unfortunately escapes me. I loved that book, and have always judged future biology texts against that one; this one measures up well against my memory of that text.

After an interesting introduction, which talks about discovery-based science in addition to theoretical/hypothesis science with interesting examples. The introduction, 'Exploring Life', leads right into the first unit, which deals with the basic chemistry needed to understand the processes of life. Water, Carbon and molecular chemistry at a basic level are explained, as these are the building-blocks of life on earth from a chemical standpoint.

The book continues on an upward progression from here. The next unit is on the cell, introducing both single-celled organisms as well as how cells work in both plants and animals. Photosynthesis is explained in good detail. The unit following deals with genetics, a very 'in the news' area of biology today. This looks at genetics in plants (the early experiments of Mendel are explained here), animals, bacteria and viruses, as well as the more complex structures of DNA.

The unit on evolution looks both at plant and animal evolution, as well as the way evolutionary ideas can influence the way species develop in the modern, changing world. The subsequent units look at biological diversity, the plant kingdom, and the animal kingdom. The final unit on ecology brings all things together in one eco-system in which plants, animals and environment influence each other and co-exist.

In this book, each chapter focuses on only a few key concepts. There are features such as Concept Head and Concept Check to keep the student focused upon real-life examples. Headers reinforce the broader topics while modules give key concepts within each broad topic. Diagrams are arranged with numbered steps to help understanding, and there are frequent references to website additions. Key questions are asked at each conceptual point. Exploring Figures bring things back to the big-picture view. There are a number of supplements designed to help the student and instructor engage the material more fully. I particularly liked the interviews with scientists and researchers, which puts a more human face to the elements of the book. The book is very colourful, both in text copy and in pictures.

This is a very good book, with lots of information - it is also a flexible book, and certain portions can be omitted in a syllabus without diminishing the overall text. Like the other book by Campbell and Reece, with this book I also find myself constantly glancing through the chapters and reading the interesting essays and connection modules between my tutoring appointments. That's the mark of a good textbook.