Molecular Biology of the Cell- Fourth Edition Description:

Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fourth Edition review:
5 stars (Great, but...) - I ordered this book on somewhat of a lark, and I haven't been disappointed. The material is fascinating; although so complex that even at 1,400 pages it still feels like a summary in some places, particularly the parts about RNA replication (what I'm reading right now).



For self learners, it's great. I was expecting to force myself to read this thing, but I just got sucked in, reading it like a novel, although in some places it can get difficult and I find myself needing to re-read a paragraph several times.



A few specific criticisms: I wish there was a better cohesion between pictures and the text. Sometimes you need to flip the page over to see the figure they reference in the text, but I'm sure that's a space concern and the book is already 1,400 pages.



I'd also like to see specific pointers to papers or other books you could read if you wanted to find out more about a specific thing.



Finally, the glossary is a little thin. It doesn't contain a definition for "nucleolus" for example. You might want to get a companion dictionary to go along with the book.



I'd rate it more like 4.9 stars if I could.
5 stars (Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fourth Edition) - Although Molecular Biology of the Cell is suitable for specialists, it's not written exclusively for biologists. Amateur readers and those who want to expand their knowledge to one of the most interesting scientific topics, myself included, can still find the book useful and enjoyable. Starting from chapter one, the book makes use of hundreds of illustrations to explain corresponding sections. The fourth edition takes advantage of the new discoveries in genetics by expanding the material provided in previous editions. Six chapters in total have been added to expand the information on molecular genetics. Chapter one, which explains RNA Translation, the Domains of the Living World, Genetic Information in Eucaryotes, among many other things, is quite an interesting opening of the book. I found chapter 5, on DNA Replication, Repair and Recombination, particularly useful as well as Part IV on the Internal Organization of the Cell. The book comes with a CD that contains animation and videos, which I found very helpful. In over 1400 pages and wealth of advanced information, Molecular Biology of the Cell is not an easy read. The book was written with students in mind, so if you are studying Molecular Biology this is certainly a book to have. Also, if you are a student, make sure to check the complementary book "Molecular Biology of the Cell, a Problems Approach" by John Wilson and Tim Hunt.
5 stars (Great text) - We used this book as both my Cell Biology text and my Molecular Genetics text. There is an online copy on PubMed's digital bookshelf complete with figures and many (if not all the pictures). I own a previous edition and faithfully look at it when something perplexes me.