Are you using a great Biology textbook for Bio I and II ? Mine sucks.... please tell

[OrganicMLover]

Are you using a great Biology textbook for Bio I and II ? Mine sucks.... please tell me what you think of your book. If you love it please tell me which one it is ! I need to buy a backup. We are using Freeman and it sucks ! Help. Please.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Overeducated]

I always loved the book by Campbell... I know it sounds like an exaggeration but I don't think it would be a stretch to say that it's probably the best science textbook that I've ever had. It just covers SOOOO much, and does it so well... and the CD that comes with it is actually useful. Usually I never use CDs that comes with textbooks but their flash movies of various things were extremely helpful.

 

[prana_md]

Campbell it is! Loved it as well ...

 

[kansas]

I agree! The Campbell and Reece text is amazing, and very reasonably priced for what you get. It is thorough and has a great study guide and CD, as aforementioned. It is also very objective as far as origins and stuff, I thought.

 

[tigress]

I've used both Campbell and Raven & Johnson, and I prefer the latter. I would have to say that Raven & Johnson is the best science text I've ever had. The illustrations are great. I used this book in AP Bio in high school, about 8 years ago or so, and still when I think about certain biological processes the images in my mind are from the Raven & Johnson book. I also have a copy that I have used over the past few years as a reference.

That said, Campbell is also excellent. I would choose Raven & Johnson first, but if you have easier access to Campbell go for it.

 

[nockamura]

Another vote for Campbell.

 

[Ambs]

Definitely Campbell.......

 

[g3pro]

I hate Campbell. I prefer the triumvirate of Molecular Cell Biology by Lodish, Molecular Biology of the Gene by Watson (of Watson and Crick), and Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry by Nelson.

Campbell sucks. 👎

 

[byeh2004]

campbell is a good book but I go to the same school that campbell and several contributors teach at... and one of these contributors being my biology professor, writes extremely challenging questions because of his extensive knowledge of the book being that he wrote part of it

so bottom line.... i need to get out of UCR.

 

[tinnyfluffy]

I've always loved Campbell's book back in school. I took this year off before med school to work as a AP Bio/SATII bio tutor, and after some comparisons, I still think Campbell's is the best I've seen. There's also a student's study guide that you can buy, which summarizes the chapters for you and provides extra study questions. It can come in handy sometime.

 

[g3pro]

Wait, I'm not getting the vibes I was expecting. Why does everyone like Campbell? Isn't that a high school textbook for elementary principles of biology?

 

[DrBowtie]

Wait, I'm not getting the vibes I was expecting. Why does everyone like Campbell? Isn't that a high school textbook for elementary principles of biology?

The Campbell is the standard for AP Bio and Freshman Bio I & II. The books you listed seem to be more molecular biology texts. The Campbell has cellular biology, organismal biology, and some population biology as well.

Edit: To the OP, why buy the extra book, your course might follow along with your book closely so the extra book would be useless. If it is to review for the MCAT, don't waste the money b/c it is not very efficient to read 1000 pages of minute details.