Straightforward and has tons of great illustrations which often aided me in understanding more complex concepts. The book was still outrageously expensive, AND IT WASN'T EVEN BOUND!.
I would have happily traded in the full color photos for a binding and hardcover. Unfortunately I am very unlikely to ever thumb through this book again, as it is on looseleaf paper in a binder, with no bound version offered at my campus bookstore. This made the text easy to skim or quickly glean answers to learning objectives. Further, the most important concepts were always the first sentence in the section. If there was a new word or concept, it was bold and the definition followed. I suppose this could be a review for the class overall, given the extensive overlap between the learning objectives for the class and the questions given at the beginning of each chapter and subject. This was often frustrating, as the tests and learning objectives in the class for which I read this book tended to be more specific than the former an more general than the latter. Sometimes, the text would go from painfully obvious generalization in one paragraph to minute frivolous detail in the next. This was a well organized textbook that was not difficult to read. This was often frustrating, as the tests and learning objectives in the class for which I read this book tended to be more specific than the former an more general t No longer using this website, but I'm leaving up old reviews. No longer using this website, but I'm leaving up old reviews. It occurred less in the later chapters, but they did refer to previous chapters.more It occurred so often in the early chapter that it was distracting. Too many times the text said, "discussed in chapter XX," "see page XX," "for more info see Appendix XX," "see additional table in following chapter," ".which will be covered later," etc. There were too many references in early chapters to subsequent chapters, appendicies, tables, pictures, and charts. I award 4-stars only because of one consistent pet peeve.
I planned to keep the textbook for reference, and since I would've received less than $60 for selling it used, the International Edition was a victory.
It was made in Cambodia, was a soft cover, and had different cover pictures however it arrived in 3 days and was a very professional copy that stood up to my repeated abuse. Instead of buying the newly published (and course-required) 10th edition textbook for $179.99, I searched on Amazon and got the International Student Edition for $60.00, including tax. The information in a book like this is so informative that I wish more people read textbooks about subjects they're unfamiliar with, and read them as seriously and closely as they would a favorite novel. The chapter (and a couple others) are actually better than similar chapters in a Human Anatomy & Physiology textbook to which I awarded 5 stars earlier this year. The chapter on DNA Replication and Protein Synthesis is especially well-written and presents a complex process in an easily-comprehensible, keenly-illustrated, and methodical manner. The information in a book like this is so informative that I wish more people read text A very good textbook on Microbiology at the 200-300 college level.
A very good textbook on Microbiology at the 200-300 college level.