Customer Reviews
impressive and thorough - By: Paul J. Fitzgerald, 02 Dec 2007 
An undergraduate, freshman level biology class I took used this as its textbook. It is thorough & detailed, packed with information on a broad range of biological topics, written in a highly accessible manner that requires no special training to understand. It covers such topics as the cell, heredity, evolution, plants, animals, & ecology. It's not quite as well written as the finest textbooks I've read, such as Alberts' Molecular Biology of the Cell or Kandel's Principles of Neural Science, but it's well written nonetheless. Anyone interested in the subject of biology should give this a read. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.
Excellent presentation of basics for undergrads and non-biologists - By: LBatik, 13 Jul 2007 I bought this because I desperately needed a review of basic biology to tackle some more advanced classes, & this was the book in use by MIT undergraduates. I'm glad I picked this one -- it's excellent.
The book works from the basics of smalll molecules (including things which many biology texts leave out, like the unique properties of water which make H2O so important to life), through large molecules, the biomolecules of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates & the various permutations & combinations thereof, through the basics of plant & animal cells & cellular processes, through the basics of genetics, life processes, & the lives & reproduction of organisms, right the way through to populations, species, & ecosystem interactions. Evolution is dealt with throughout, which is a refreshing change from some texts. It is extremely clearly written & well illustrated, & although it only provides the basic groundwork for some of the more detailed topics in biology, it does so in a way which will leave you well set up to understand further reading. Explanations of interactions at every level are handled better than I have seen in many texts, & concepts are presented in the context of where, how & why they operate, which aids understanding & remembering them immensely.
Highly recommended.
Great book for reference and for learning - By: Anders Rasmussen, 23 Feb 2006 This book was used in my introductory biology course at University of California. The book explains everything in a way that reallly makes you understand, & it provides clear definitions of alll jargon that you come across. The pictures in the book & the books website are also top quality. Life covers more or less alll subfields of biology, in some depth. You can use this book as reference or read the whole thing (in which case you would learn alot). Buy!
From a non-biology background, it'a awesome - By: sam, 07 Apr 2004 I'm a physics Ph.D. who decided to learn a little bit about biology from one book. I bought this book & it hasn't disappointed me one bit.
I don't know how it fairs as an undergraduate textbook but from my perspective of a broad understanding of science but lacking the details of biology it was excellent. Giving a sweeping, concise overview from biochemistry of cells to anatomy of mammals, it's alll good stuff. The author's stated intention to have the theory of evolution underpin alll topics is very satisfying & gives a unifying feel that prevents the book being becoming a 'stamp collection'. Also, with it's repeated emphasis on experimental testing of hyposthesis it attempts to put a bit more hard science into the minds of the student & reminds one that these are facts, not mere guesses.
It's fantastic as an overview & has a huge amount in it. But i suspect that it is more of an entry-level undergraduate text & a person approaching the end of their degree would need more detail.
Life: The science of Biology - By: , 06 Nov 2002 
This text was an essential reading for the first year of my degree course (Marine biology & coastal ecology) it is well written & illustrated, & provides the fundamentals on a wide range of topics. Certainly a good buy for anyone doing the first year of a biology based degree, I still refere to it for it i am consufed.
