ISBN9780132187466

Product delivery was held up due to bad weather. Unaware of this, I emailed the vendor to ensure the product had been shipped; vendor response was very prompt, professional, and polite. I received the product shortly after, which was exactly as described. Please note that the actual delivery time was not outside of the time guaranteed; it was just later than the time period to which I had become accustomed regarding other purchases from Amazon.

This is a text on biology that emphasizes the cell, evolution through natural selection, and DNA. These are all important and lead to a much better understanding of life on earth, but if you want a text that emphasizes the classifications of life forms on Earth, this text will likely not be what you want. However, if you want to get a handle on how cells work, how the various forms of cells are similar and different, what the very important chemical processes are in the cell, and how these are used by the various life forms on Earth, and how these life forms fit into and influence the ecology of their environment, this is a very solid text. It will help to have some basic understanding of chemistry because the book is based on that approach and doesn't bother to explain the basic concepts (if it did, it would become a chemistry text).

It is wonderfully illustrated and well organized text and its writing is clear and helpful. Yes, it necessarily simplifies the more detailed aspects of atomic structure and chemistry, but it does so in a way that the student knows that more study will be required to dig into that topic more fully.

It has 55 chapters that are organized into 9 large units (the book as about 1,300 pages long). The units are:

1) The Origin and Early Evolution of Life
2) Cell Structure and Function
3) Gene Structure and Expression
4) Developmental Biology
5) Evolutionary Processes and Patterns
6) The Diversification of Life
7) How Plants Work
8) How Animals Work
9) Ecology

I have found reading it to be helpful and informative. Again, the writing is quite clear and it uses illustrations very well to help the text make its points. The important thing to know is whether this is the kind of biology text you are looking for. I think it can help its readers learn to think about life and biology in a scientific way and help them develop the mental tools necessary to tackle deeper biological issues, and that is a good thing. The authors ask the students to check their understanding every step of the way with in chapter articles illustrating the point being made (and often asks questions to help focus thinking). Each chapter starts listing the most important points the chapter will make, and summarizes those concepts at the end. There are also a few multiple choice problems to help the student verify that he or she understands the big concepts of the material.

Each chapter also provides a concept review and topics for group discussion. There are also many online helps for the students that supplement what is given in the book. In the body of the text it points to the online supplementary material so the student can get additional insight to the material being studied.

arrived exactly as expected. Everything that was said to be included was in perfect condition.