Favorite Textbooks?

[NeverQuit]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Do you guys have any favorite textbooks that you actually enjoyed reading while learning the course material?

 

[Isoprop]

I'm not a textbook person. It takes too long, and I'm too efficient (read: lazy) to read a textbook if I can help it.

That being said, my favorite undergrad textbook was probably Campbell's Biology. I think everyone used that book for bio.

 

[witness23]

lol

maitland jones orgo was a very well written orgo book

 

[Jameel11435]

Peep the avy.

Love this book.

 

[JSJ1313]

Principles of Chemistry - Michael Munowitz

This is the textbook my professor used for Honors General Chemistry I and II. If you want his thoughts on it, here is his review on the book:

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2000JChEd..77..563K

 

[vickpick]

ravens biology : 8th edition.. i think.. awesome book!

 

[NeverQuit]

Principles of Chemistry - Michael Munowitz

This is the textbook my professor used for Honors General Chemistry I and II. If you want his thoughts on it, here is his review on the book:

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2000JChEd..77..563K

Wow, after reading the multiple reviews on this book from teachers and students alike I bought a copy (cheaply; 7$ total) on amazon.com!

Any others out there? (aside from general chemistry ofcourse)

 

[MilkmanAl]

The Physics of the Interstellar Medium. Yes, really.

 

[tdittyx2x3]

Physiology of Behavior by Neil Carlson

It's an intro level neuroscience text. Structure and physiology of the neuron, organization of the brain, all five perceptual systems, then it looks at human behavior (ie: experience of stress, addiction, attraction, etc) and how those relate to the nervous system. Clinical references throughout and a pleasure to read.

 

[pirateinaskirt]

Alcock's Animal Behavior.
It's like reading a Planet Earth episode.
Or maybe I'm a huge nerd, or both.
Also, my physiology book is pretty good, Human Physiology: An Integrated Approach by Silverthorn. It has a little diagnostic/clinical corollary in every chapter.

 

[jackson1]

I'm not a textbook person. It takes too long, and I'm too efficient (read: lazy) to read a textbook if I can help it.

That being said, my favorite undergrad textbook was probably Campbell's Biology. I think everyone used that book for bio.

me either, the only textbook i've actually read in college was my intro to sociology book because 1/3 of his test questions came directly from the book! I'd much rather just look at powerpoint notes than read way more info than necessary in a book

 

[JRock310]

Wade's Organic Chemistry book is really well written!

 

[Carlin]

Okay, don't get me wrong, I really really hated pchem. But the textbook, Physical Chemistry by Ira Levine, threw in a few things now and then that really made me laugh. Like this little gem from section 18.16: "The abstract material of this section can induce dizziness in susceptible individuals and is best studied in small doses."

 

[chemnerd89]

There's something in Lehninger's Biochem about DAM (DNA adenine methylase) not being a biochemical expletive...made me smirk, maybe for a second, then I came to my senses.

Where's the DAM methylase?!???1!

 

[Appless]

I loved our elseviers integrated physiology book. Some of it was a little above our class but it was short concise and too the point. something so few bio books are!! Oh it also had pretty pictures 😉

 

[AdemTD]

Robbins and Cotran's Pathologic Basis of Disease was pretty good 😉 Especially if you like $hi* loads of info.

 

[orrghead16]

Not a text book, but The Forever War by Filkins was a required read for a foreign policy class. It was an absolutely phenomenal relay of what life and the wars are really like in the Middle East, great break from sciences. A very unbiased look and a page turner.

 

[Maxx4]

I'm not a textbook person. It takes too long, and I'm too efficient (read: lazy) to read a textbook if I can help it.

That being said, my favorite undergrad textbook was probably Campbell's Biology. I think everyone used that book for bio.

Same here. I liked it so much that I didn't try to sell it.

 

[Ibn Rushd]

Wade's Organic Chemistry book is really well written!

I completely agree!

I also enjoyed Lehninger's biochemistry book and Parham's immunology book.

 

[Evergrey]

Skip Wade is my friend's uncle! He retired from our school last year. (I basically gave away where I go to school)

Yeah, his Organic Chem textbook is awesome. Very well-written. He is revising ED.7 or whatever it is on now.

I also give mad props to the Campbell bio textbook. I loved reading that thing, even brought it home over summer to read for fun.

 

[NeverQuit]

Is this the Campbell Biology Book you all are referring to?

 

[Jameel11435]

Is this the Campbell Biology Book you all are referring to?

Is that the 10th edition? or 11th?

 

[EkramVahsedi86]

Wade's Organic Chemistry book is really well written!

I knew that would be in the first 10 responses. I feel like the author went out of his way to write his book perfectly! I am a huge OCD perfectionist, and everything in the book is nearly to my liking. (the only thing I think is ridiculous in ALL textbooks is when they see "see table 4-7" but you have to flip a page! anyone else get bugged by having to flip a page to see the table?)

However, the key mechanism boxes are to die for!!! I feel sorry for anyone who has to learn Base Catalyzed Aldol condensation without the key mechanism box on pp 1056! The key mechanism boxes are like orgo flashcards--what better way to make the really important concepts stand out?

 

[witness23]

no one seriously used maitland jones?

 

[Isoprop]

Is this the Campbell Biology Book you all are referring to?

i think so, I haven't taken Bio in a long time.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Albert's Cell. I personally hated the book, but it's the bible of Cell Bio.

 

[Isoprop]

McMurry's Organic Chemistry was awesome because of those end-of-chapter summaries on reactions. Time saver.

 

[WiseGuy1]

McMurry's Organic Chemistry was awesome because of those end-of-chapter summaries on reactions. Time saver.

Yes. I haven't ever used Wade's organic, but I thought McMurry's book was excellent. Very easy to read as far as texts are concerned.

 

[qmcat]

Do you guys have any favorite textbooks that you actually enjoyed reading while learning the course material?

No. Are you kidding me? I used wikipedia and sparknotes for ALL of my classes.

 

[rx515]

I'll second Human Physiology: An Integrated Approach by Silverthorn. Truly a delight.
Also gotta love Giancoli's Physics Principles with Applications

 

[wedogogirl]

Loved Voet, Voet, and Pratt's Fundamentals of Biochemistry.

 

[Handinhand]

I use McMurry for OChem, I think it's a good book and I've done well in chem because of the masses of problems, as well as the extreme helpfulness of the solution manual.

 

[Techmed07]

it is beautiful😍

 

[murdoc9]

dale dubin's rapid interpretation of ekg is pretty neat. i liked wade's organic chem a lot, along with six ideas that shaped physics by thomas moore

 

[virusgirl]

Immunobiology by Janeway!

Words cannot describe how frightened I was heading into grad-level immunology with no idea what the difference was between B and T cells. This book is saved my life. It is AWESOME.

I also liked Chemistry: The Central Science for gen chem. I forget who wrote it, but between my two attempts at gen chem 1 and then gen chem 2, I used FOUR different intro chemistry texts, and this one was definitely the best.

 

[Ibn Rushd]

Immunobiology by Janeway!

Ooh! I gotta second that. Great book. I loved the autoimmune and allergy/hypersensitivity chapters.

 

[RySerr21]

kinesiology of the musculoskeletal system: foundations for physical rehabiliation. Thats an amazing texbook with high quality photos and it is really cheap.

 

[ping3pong]

Campbell Biology hands down.. visual learner... lots of pictures. the whole deal.

and thats the 8th edition

 

[NeverQuit]

We've had some absolutely great feedback here! All these book reviews from you guys really help me sift through the books.

Bringing
Up
My
Post

 

[SaintPreux]

Campbell Biology hands down.. visual learner... lots of pictures. the whole deal.

and thats the 8th edition

Definitely agree with Campbell's Biology.

This isn't a text book, but it really helped me through Calculus I (and their sequel was/is helpful for Calc II & III)

How to ace calculus

Also, for the bizarre textbook choice file:

My Intro to Comparative Politics professor's one and only required book for the class: Shakespeare's Othello.

And I though I was done with Shakespeare after english!

 

[DrJonesss]

Abnormal Psychology (James/Mineka/Hooley)
I used to read ahead in that book for fun. I'm such a nerd.

 

[kansaskid]

Definitely Campbell's Biology. I also really like Hornback's O-chem text. Very colorful!

 

[PreMedHopeful]

lol when I saw this thread......but I guess this is SDN....so pretty much not unexpected lol...yeah the Bio book is interesting at times

 

[greg1184]

Undergrad:
Organic Chemistry by Paula Bruice wasn't bad to read at all.

Medical School:
Lange Cardiovascular Physiology

 

[corbis11]

 

[EkramVahsedi86]

Ok, so far I count 6 votes for Cambell's biology and 4 votes for Wade's Ochem.

Also, to those people who like McMurray Orgo--tell him to release his first 4 chapters online!

ftp://ftp.prenhall.com/pub/esm/web_marketing/Chem/wade/wade5.html

Nobody's Ochem book is better than Wade's, that's why McMurray is afraid to let people compare the first hundred pages and make an informed decision.

 

[katiesb]

Undergrad:
Organic Chemistry by Paula Bruice wasn't bad to read at all.

Medical School:
Lange Cardiovascular Physiology

woo! I had her for my first quarter of O-Chem! I liked the textbook, but I've never had any other O-Chem text books...

 

[rockaction]

Hornback's Organic Chemistry
Mechanistically based, which is the best way to learn Organic in my opinion. Very easy to read, and tons of problems to work.

Abbas' Cellular and Molecular Immunology
Tough read, but comprehensive and thorough. My Immuno class was tough and this book helped a lot.

Murray's Medical Microbiology
Very well outlined and organized. It has a great balance of molecular study and clinical application for all the organisms you'd study in Micro or Viro. Easy to read too if you just want to learn about some disease-causing microorganisms.

 

[hoot504]

Certainly not 'enjoyable', but Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry by Mcmurray was well-written enough to keep me from falling asleep. Kind of interesting that it was written by a husband and wife too

 

[Hyperstudyosis]

McMurry's Organic Chemistry was awesome because of those end-of-chapter summaries on reactions. Time saver.

Yeah, I liked those end of chapter summaries in McMurray. I just used those instead of reading the chapters in 1st semester. As a whole, i don't think McMurray is that great though and in 2nd semester, I didn't use the book at all because my prof gave us all the info we needed to know in lecture. He seriously didn't test us on anything he didn't put on the board.

 

[Mattabet]

Wade's Organic Chemistry book is really well written!

👍 Second this! My extensively annotated, dog-eared, drawn on, corners-bent, white cover Skip Wade is like a comfort blanket. I'd sleep with it at night if it hadn't come with me to orgo lab sometimes (can't be too careful 🙂).