the new edition is incomplete, 18 Jul 2008
I really liked the Alberts. That's why I bought the new edition, my last edition is now more than 10 years old. What I liked was the coverage of a wide area of cell biology from the basics to developmental biology and immunology. I was therefore very disappointed when I read in the preface that the current paperback edition does not contain all chapters, some chapters are only available on the CD that is included with the book. What am I supposed to do, print the 300 missing pages? If you want the complete book you have to buy the hardback version, currently at about £100- I guess this was a trick of the publisher to rip of libraries, at least our library decided to buy the complete book at twice the price of the paperback...


A must for biology undergraduates., 03 Dec 2005
A really good textbook for all undergraduate biology and biochemistry students. One of the only books I consistently used throughout my course. I am now a teacher, and often use it to help bridge the gap for my students between A levels and university. It is very clear and the diagrams are excellent. If I were a student considering buying this book, I am not sure that I would spend the extra money on buying the latest edition. It costs enough to go to university as it is! If you do buy it used though, make sure it's in good condition as it will be well used.

Not bad! :), 05 Nov 2001
Good chapters on enzyme kinetics. Skips around, but it's all there. Easy reading (for biochem). Better than stryer ;).

Excellent book but out of date, 20 Sep 2001
A wonderfully written and illustrated book, but now totally out of date and in serious need of a new edition. Where is it?!

A foundation Text., 03 Sep 2001
This is an excellent, informative text. I used it extensively through my first degree, my masters and I even refer to it now while I'm doing my PhD. Money well spent.

Max Arthur's compilation of First World War memories, Forgotten Voices of the Great War, offers a reminder of the scale of human experience within the 1914-18 conflict. Arthur, a military historian best known for his history of the RAF and his account of the Falklands campaign in 1982, has assembled hundreds of excerpts from the sound archives of the Imperial War Museum. Officers, rank-and-file troops, Australians, Americans, war widows, women in the munitions factories, and German soldiers too, all left oral testimony of their experiences, and these interviews provide the basis of the book. Arthur has put them in chronological and campaign order, and provided a general commentary, but beyond that, has left the rich and moving record to speak for itself.

The sheer humdrum ordinariness of modern warfare--the mud and rain, the relentless loss of life and inevitability of death, the pointless routine of attrition--come over in the matter-of-fact recollections of so many. But so too does the humanity and morality of the ordinary soldier--a factor that rather belies the recent emphasis amongst some historians on how soldiers loved to kill. Arthur might have intruded more. No biographical information is given about the owners of these "voices", nor does he say when, where and how this oral testimony was gathered.

These quibbles aside this is a worthwhile read and should encourage people not only to observe a minute's silence on Remembrance Day, but also to spend a few hours in the Imperial War Museum itself. --Miles Taylor

the new edition is incomplete, 18 Jul 2008
I really liked the Alberts. That's why I bought the new edition, my last edition is now more than 10 years old. What I liked was the coverage of a wide area of cell biology from the basics to developmental biology and immunology. I was therefore very disappointed when I read in the preface that the current paperback edition does not contain all chapters, some chapters are only available on the CD that is included with the book. What am I supposed to do, print the 300 missing pages? If you want the complete book you have to buy the hardback version, currently at about £100- I guess this was a trick of the publisher to rip of libraries, at least our library decided to buy the complete book at twice the price of the paperback...


A must for biology undergraduates., 03 Dec 2005
A really good textbook for all undergraduate biology and biochemistry students. One of the only books I consistently used throughout my course. I am now a teacher, and often use it to help bridge the gap for my students between A levels and university. It is very clear and the diagrams are excellent. If I were a student considering buying this book, I am not sure that I would spend the extra money on buying the latest edition. It costs enough to go to university as it is! If you do buy it used though, make sure it's in good condition as it will be well used.

Not bad! :), 05 Nov 2001
Good chapters on enzyme kinetics. Skips around, but it's all there. Easy reading (for biochem). Better than stryer ;).

Excellent book but out of date, 20 Sep 2001
A wonderfully written and illustrated book, but now totally out of date and in serious need of a new edition. Where is it?!

A foundation Text., 03 Sep 2001
This is an excellent, informative text. I used it extensively through my first degree, my masters and I even refer to it now while I'm doing my PhD. Money well spent.

Compelling Reading, 18 Nov 2008
The recent 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War spurred me to seek out some literature on the subject. My mother's father fought at Ypres and Arras, and was invalided home after a mustard gas attack. I was only 10 years old when he died, but I wish I could have talked to him about his experiences. This book gives a potted history of each year of the war followed by accounts of various survivors who were interviewed in the 1970's. I aim to read more of the Forgotten Voices series to further my knowledge. I received Harry Patch's The Last Fighting Tommy in the post today and look forward to reading his highly acclaimed account of his time in the trenches.

A window through time, 05 Nov 2008
War is never going to be a pleasant thing to read about, and this is no exception - it consists of testimonies from survivors, which have been cut into chunks and organised so that they refer to events in the order that they happened.

I happened across this in a charity shop at the end of October, and I can think of no better way to understand the real meaning of Armstice day - the absolute horror of the things they went through is something that I'd never be able to do. You get a real flavour of the way people were then too - women back in England handing out feathers (the symbol of a coward) to men in the street, completely unaware that a lot of them were back from the trenches sans uniform, which really affected the soldiers.

I won't go into the individual stories, but you can hear the voices rising from the page as you read - as an ex-actor, this is excellent source material if you're doing something set in this period.

A REALLY REALLY GOOD READ. Not many books have affected me as much as this one.

Voices of the Lost Generation, 30 Jul 2008
Forgotten Voices of the Great War is a collection of real life experiences of the First World War, as told by the ordinary people who lived through it.
I must admit that my knowledge of the First World War is a little blank. My only previous experience of this period was through school lessons about trench warfare, or by watching Blackadder goes forth. Therefore I can't make an analysis about the historical accuracy of the book. But what I can say is that I found it a very powerful and poignant work.

The author, Max Arthur, has spent several years listening to thousands of recordings of the men and women who lived during this period. These tapes were kept as archival records in the Imperial War Museum, after they were collected in 1972. These are essentially the voices of a lost generation. The book is divided into chapters that cover every year of the war, from 1914 to 1918. Within these chapters are accounts taken from individual campaigns or battles such as Gallipoli, The Second Battle of Ypres, or the Battle of Mons.

Arthur has sifted through these records to bring out the most varied and unique stories. We are told about gas attacks, boredom or banter between soldiers, but we also get to hear the points of view of people like Elizabeth Owen, who was a schoolgirl at the outbreak of the war. Many of these stories are touching and funny, while others can be truly horrifying. In the section on Gallipoli for instance, we get a story of the games played between British and Turkish soldiers, with some of them throwing tinned bully beef and strings of figs to each other as presents. In the same section it also tells you of the horrible and undignified deaths caused by dysentry and other diseases, which will probably be some of the most terrible accounts of the war you will ever read.

This is an incredibly powerful and important book. If you have ever wondered about life during the First World War, then this book should be the first one you read. Extraordinay.

Not everyone can get to source documents, 23 May 2008
This book is now part of a series collated from the IWM archives. Not everyone can get to source documents through time or distance. This book has brought some of the sources into the public arena. Naturally such short personal reminicences give a fragmented picture. If you want opinions handed to you, read a 'definitive' history. All history books, however good, are shaped by the author. If a book like this makes you question recived wisdom, it has done its job.

Good, but difficult to put in context., 22 May 2008
This is an excellent collection of first-hand accounts of the Great War, from a variety of different contemporary contributors to that war.

The only problem with this book is that it divorces the account from much of the wider picture, so it tends to foster a 'I've read that book, I know all about WW1 now' sort of attitude. Perhaps it's just a reflection of our rushed aged, but I think the many other books, which describe some of the development of the war and intertwine similar first-hand accounts, do more justice to those milions who gave their lives on all sides, than a quick flit through this collection of stand-alone, very short stories.

Admittedly, the book has a very important role to play in appealing to those who may othwerwise not take an interest in WW1, so for that reason alone, it is a worthwhile production.

the new edition is incomplete, 18 Jul 2008
I really liked the Alberts. That's why I bought the new edition, my last edition is now more than 10 years old. What I liked was the coverage of a wide area of cell biology from the basics to developmental biology and immunology. I was therefore very disappointed when I read in the preface that the current paperback edition does not contain all chapters, some chapters are only available on the CD that is included with the book. What am I supposed to do, print the 300 missing pages? If you want the complete book you have to buy the hardback version, currently at about £100- I guess this was a trick of the publisher to rip of libraries, at least our library decided to buy the complete book at twice the price of the paperback...


A must for biology undergraduates., 03 Dec 2005
A really good textbook for all undergraduate biology and biochemistry students. One of the only books I consistently used throughout my course. I am now a teacher, and often use it to help bridge the gap for my students between A levels and university. It is very clear and the diagrams are excellent. If I were a student considering buying this book, I am not sure that I would spend the extra money on buying the latest edition. It costs enough to go to university as it is! If you do buy it used though, make sure it's in good condition as it will be well used.

Not bad! :), 05 Nov 2001
Good chapters on enzyme kinetics. Skips around, but it's all there. Easy reading (for biochem). Better than stryer ;).

Excellent book but out of date, 20 Sep 2001
A wonderfully written and illustrated book, but now totally out of date and in serious need of a new edition. Where is it?!

A foundation Text., 03 Sep 2001
This is an excellent, informative text. I used it extensively through my first degree, my masters and I even refer to it now while I'm doing my PhD. Money well spent.

Compelling Reading, 18 Nov 2008
The recent 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War spurred me to seek out some literature on the subject. My mother's father fought at Ypres and Arras, and was invalided home after a mustard gas attack. I was only 10 years old when he died, but I wish I could have talked to him about his experiences. This book gives a potted history of each year of the war followed by accounts of various survivors who were interviewed in the 1970's. I aim to read more of the Forgotten Voices series to further my knowledge. I received Harry Patch's The Last Fighting Tommy in the post today and look forward to reading his highly acclaimed account of his time in the trenches.

A window through time, 05 Nov 2008
War is never going to be a pleasant thing to read about, and this is no exception - it consists of testimonies from survivors, which have been cut into chunks and organised so that they refer to events in the order that they happened.

I happened across this in a charity shop at the end of October, and I can think of no better way to understand the real meaning of Armstice day - the absolute horror of the things they went through is something that I'd never be able to do. You get a real flavour of the way people were then too - women back in England handing out feathers (the symbol of a coward) to men in the street, completely unaware that a lot of them were back from the trenches sans uniform, which really affected the soldiers.

I won't go into the individual stories, but you can hear the voices rising from the page as you read - as an ex-actor, this is excellent source material if you're doing something set in this period.

A REALLY REALLY GOOD READ. Not many books have affected me as much as this one.

Voices of the Lost Generation, 30 Jul 2008
Forgotten Voices of the Great War is a collection of real life experiences of the First World War, as told by the ordinary people who lived through it.
I must admit that my knowledge of the First World War is a little blank. My only previous experience of this period was through school lessons about trench warfare, or by watching Blackadder goes forth. Therefore I can't make an analysis about the historical accuracy of the book. But what I can say is that I found it a very powerful and poignant work.

The author, Max Arthur, has spent several years listening to thousands of recordings of the men and women who lived during this period. These tapes were kept as archival records in the Imperial War Museum, after they were collected in 1972. These are essentially the voices of a lost generation. The book is divided into chapters that cover every year of the war, from 1914 to 1918. Within these chapters are accounts taken from individual campaigns or battles such as Gallipoli, The Second Battle of Ypres, or the Battle of Mons.

Arthur has sifted through these records to bring out the most varied and unique stories. We are told about gas attacks, boredom or banter between soldiers, but we also get to hear the points of view of people like Elizabeth Owen, who was a schoolgirl at the outbreak of the war. Many of these stories are touching and funny, while others can be truly horrifying. In the section on Gallipoli for instance, we get a story of the games played between British and Turkish soldiers, with some of them throwing tinned bully beef and strings of figs to each other as presents. In the same section it also tells you of the horrible and undignified deaths caused by dysentry and other diseases, which will probably be some of the most terrible accounts of the war you will ever read.

This is an incredibly powerful and important book. If you have ever wondered about life during the First World War, then this book should be the first one you read. Extraordinay.

Not everyone can get to source documents, 23 May 2008
This book is now part of a series collated from the IWM archives. Not everyone can get to source documents through time or distance. This book has brought some of the sources into the public arena. Naturally such short personal reminicences give a fragmented picture. If you want opinions handed to you, read a 'definitive' history. All history books, however good, are shaped by the author. If a book like this makes you question recived wisdom, it has done its job.

Good, but difficult to put in context., 22 May 2008
This is an excellent collection of first-hand accounts of the Great War, from a variety of different contemporary contributors to that war.

The only problem with this book is that it divorces the account from much of the wider picture, so it tends to foster a 'I've read that book, I know all about WW1 now' sort of attitude. Perhaps it's just a reflection of our rushed aged, but I think the many other books, which describe some of the development of the war and intertwine similar first-hand accounts, do more justice to those milions who gave their lives on all sides, than a quick flit through this collection of stand-alone, very short stories.

Admittedly, the book has a very important role to play in appealing to those who may othwerwise not take an interest in WW1, so for that reason alone, it is a worthwhile production.

An excellent text!, 22 Jan 2008
I found this text brilliant for a module in my second year of a Biology degree; the information is concise and to the point, the multimedia disk is brilliant and the questions helped to prepare me for my exams and had me thinking more outside the box. There are many wonderful diagrams, but the CD reminds a student that cells are 3D, dynamic entities and not flat and lifeless on a page.

A wonderful resource!

Well written and concise, 24 Apr 2007
As an A level Biology teacher I bought this book to better teach the subject. It is very easy to read and the diagrams are very clear. It covers material in more detail than required for an A level student but would prove ideal for a first year biology or biochemistry course or any A level Biology teacher.
It does what it says in the title covering most aspects of cell physiology, I particularly liked its clear treatment of DNA replication and basic biochemistry. The book comes with a CD Rom containing stills and short animations some of which are superb teaching material, I particularly enjoyed the ATPase movie. On the downside some of the CD Rom files seemed empty of content but that is my only gripe, overall a great book.

the new edition is incomplete, 18 Jul 2008
I really liked the Alberts. That's why I bought the new edition, my last edition is now more than 10 years old. What I liked was the coverage of a wide area of cell biology from the basics to developmental biology and immunology. I was therefore very disappointed when I read in the preface that the current paperback edition does not contain all chapters, some chapters are only available on the CD that is included with the book. What am I supposed to do, print the 300 missing pages? If you want the complete book you have to buy the hardback version, currently at about £100- I guess this was a trick of the publisher to rip of libraries, at least our library decided to buy the complete book at twice the price of the paperback...


A must for biology undergraduates., 03 Dec 2005
A really good textbook for all undergraduate biology and biochemistry students. One of the only books I consistently used throughout my course. I am now a teacher, and often use it to help bridge the gap for my students between A levels and university. It is very clear and the diagrams are excellent. If I were a student considering buying this book, I am not sure that I would spend the extra money on buying the latest edition. It costs enough to go to university as it is! If you do buy it used though, make sure it's in good condition as it will be well used.

Not bad! :), 05 Nov 2001
Good chapters on enzyme kinetics. Skips around, but it's all there. Easy reading (for biochem). Better than stryer ;).

Excellent book but out of date, 20 Sep 2001
A wonderfully written and illustrated book, but now totally out of date and in serious need of a new edition. Where is it?!

A foundation Text., 03 Sep 2001
This is an excellent, informative text. I used it extensively through my first degree, my masters and I even refer to it now while I'm doing my PhD. Money well spent.

Compelling Reading, 18 Nov 2008
The recent 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War spurred me to seek out some literature on the subject. My mother's father fought at Ypres and Arras, and was invalided home after a mustard gas attack. I was only 10 years old when he died, but I wish I could have talked to him about his experiences. This book gives a potted history of each year of the war followed by accounts of various survivors who were interviewed in the 1970's. I aim to read more of the Forgotten Voices series to further my knowledge. I received Harry Patch's The Last Fighting Tommy in the post today and look forward to reading his highly acclaimed account of his time in the trenches.

A window through time, 05 Nov 2008
War is never going to be a pleasant thing to read about, and this is no exception - it consists of testimonies from survivors, which have been cut into chunks and organised so that they refer to events in the order that they happened.

I happened across this in a charity shop at the end of October, and I can think of no better way to understand the real meaning of Armstice day - the absolute horror of the things they went through is something that I'd never be able to do. You get a real flavour of the way people were then too - women back in England handing out feathers (the symbol of a coward) to men in the street, completely unaware that a lot of them were back from the trenches sans uniform, which really affected the soldiers.

I won't go into the individual stories, but you can hear the voices rising from the page as you read - as an ex-actor, this is excellent source material if you're doing something set in this period.

A REALLY REALLY GOOD READ. Not many books have affected me as much as this one.

Voices of the Lost Generation, 30 Jul 2008
Forgotten Voices of the Great War is a collection of real life experiences of the First World War, as told by the ordinary people who lived through it.
I must admit that my knowledge of the First World War is a little blank. My only previous experience of this period was through school lessons about trench warfare, or by watching Blackadder goes forth. Therefore I can't make an analysis about the historical accuracy of the book. But what I can say is that I found it a very powerful and poignant work.

The author, Max Arthur, has spent several years listening to thousands of recordings of the men and women who lived during this period. These tapes were kept as archival records in the Imperial War Museum, after they were collected in 1972. These are essentially the voices of a lost generation. The book is divided into chapters that cover every year of the war, from 1914 to 1918. Within these chapters are accounts taken from individual campaigns or battles such as Gallipoli, The Second Battle of Ypres, or the Battle of Mons.

Arthur has sifted through these records to bring out the most varied and unique stories. We are told about gas attacks, boredom or banter between soldiers, but we also get to hear the points of view of people like Elizabeth Owen, who was a schoolgirl at the outbreak of the war. Many of these stories are touching and funny, while others can be truly horrifying. In the section on Gallipoli for instance, we get a story of the games played between British and Turkish soldiers, with some of them throwing tinned bully beef and strings of figs to each other as presents. In the same section it also tells you of the horrible and undignified deaths caused by dysentry and other diseases, which will probably be some of the most terrible accounts of the war you will ever read.

This is an incredibly powerful and important book. If you have ever wondered about life during the First World War, then this book should be the first one you read. Extraordinay.

Not everyone can get to source documents, 23 May 2008
This book is now part of a series collated from the IWM archives. Not everyone can get to source documents through time or distance. This book has brought some of the sources into the public arena. Naturally such short personal reminicences give a fragmented picture. If you want opinions handed to you, read a 'definitive' history. All history books, however good, are shaped by the author. If a book like this makes you question recived wisdom, it has done its job.

Good, but difficult to put in context., 22 May 2008
This is an excellent collection of first-hand accounts of the Great War, from a variety of different contemporary contributors to that war.

The only problem with this book is that it divorces the account from much of the wider picture, so it tends to foster a 'I've read that book, I know all about WW1 now' sort of attitude. Perhaps it's just a reflection of our rushed aged, but I think the many other books, which describe some of the development of the war and intertwine similar first-hand accounts, do more justice to those milions who gave their lives on all sides, than a quick flit through this collection of stand-alone, very short stories.

Admittedly, the book has a very important role to play in appealing to those who may othwerwise not take an interest in WW1, so for that reason alone, it is a worthwhile production.

An excellent text!, 22 Jan 2008
I found this text brilliant for a module in my second year of a Biology degree; the information is concise and to the point, the multimedia disk is brilliant and the questions helped to prepare me for my exams and had me thinking more outside the box. There are many wonderful diagrams, but the CD reminds a student that cells are 3D, dynamic entities and not flat and lifeless on a page.

A wonderful resource!

Well written and concise, 24 Apr 2007
As an A level Biology teacher I bought this book to better teach the subject. It is very easy to read and the diagrams are very clear. It covers material in more detail than required for an A level student but would prove ideal for a first year biology or biochemistry course or any A level Biology teacher.
It does what it says in the title covering most aspects of cell physiology, I particularly liked its clear treatment of DNA replication and basic biochemistry. The book comes with a CD Rom containing stills and short animations some of which are superb teaching material, I particularly enjoyed the ATPase movie. On the downside some of the CD Rom files seemed empty of content but that is my only gripe, overall a great book.

Excellent, 29 Jun 2004
Excellent for all biology related degree courses. It gives advice and structure on everything from essay writing to PCR.

An exceptional reference for biochemistry students., 15 Sep 2001
This book has excellent information relating to many biochemical practicals. I honestly think it would be really useful to those students who wish to do a Biolody/Chemistry Joint degree. I myself have found it very helpful.

the new edition is incomplete, 18 Jul 2008
I really liked the Alberts. That's why I bought the new edition, my last edition is now more than 10 years old. What I liked was the coverage of a wide area of cell biology from the basics to developmental biology and immunology. I was therefore very disappointed when I read in the preface that the current paperback edition does not contain all chapters, some chapters are only available on the CD that is included with the book. What am I supposed to do, print the 300 missing pages? If you want the complete book you have to buy the hardback version, currently at about £100- I guess this was a trick of the publisher to rip of libraries, at least our library decided to buy the complete book at twice the price of the paperback...


A must for biology undergraduates., 03 Dec 2005
A really good textbook for all undergraduate biology and biochemistry students. One of the only books I consistently used throughout my course. I am now a teacher, and often use it to help bridge the gap for my students between A levels and university. It is very clear and the diagrams are excellent. If I were a student considering buying this book, I am not sure that I would spend the extra money on buying the latest edition. It costs enough to go to university as it is! If you do buy it used though, make sure it's in good condition as it will be well used.

Not bad! :), 05 Nov 2001
Good chapters on enzyme kinetics. Skips around, but it's all there. Easy reading (for biochem). Better than stryer ;).

Excellent book but out of date, 20 Sep 2001
A wonderfully written and illustrated book, but now totally out of date and in serious need of a new edition. Where is it?!

A foundation Text., 03 Sep 2001
This is an excellent, informative text. I used it extensively through my first degree, my masters and I even refer to it now while I'm doing my PhD. Money well spent.

Compelling Reading, 18 Nov 2008
The recent 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War spurred me to seek out some literature on the subject. My mother's father fought at Ypres and Arras, and was invalided home after a mustard gas attack. I was only 10 years old when he died, but I wish I could have talked to him about his experiences. This book gives a potted history of each year of the war followed by accounts of various survivors who were interviewed in the 1970's. I aim to read more of the Forgotten Voices series to further my knowledge. I received Harry Patch's The Last Fighting Tommy in the post today and look forward to reading his highly acclaimed account of his time in the trenches.

A window through time, 05 Nov 2008
War is never going to be a pleasant thing to read about, and this is no exception - it consists of testimonies from survivors, which have been cut into chunks and organised so that they refer to events in the order that they happened.

I happened across this in a charity shop at the end of October, and I can think of no better way to understand the real meaning of Armstice day - the absolute horror of the things they went through is something that I'd never be able to do. You get a real flavour of the way people were then too - women back in England handing out feathers (the symbol of a coward) to men in the street, completely unaware that a lot of them were back from the trenches sans uniform, which really affected the soldiers.

I won't go into the individual stories, but you can hear the voices rising from the page as you read - as an ex-actor, this is excellent source material if you're doing something set in this period.

A REALLY REALLY GOOD READ. Not many books have affected me as much as this one.

Voices of the Lost Generation, 30 Jul 2008
Forgotten Voices of the Great War is a collection of real life experiences of the First World War, as told by the ordinary people who lived through it.
I must admit that my knowledge of the First World War is a little blank. My only previous experience of this period was through school lessons about trench warfare, or by watching Blackadder goes forth. Therefore I can't make an analysis about the historical accuracy of the book. But what I can say is that I found it a very powerful and poignant work.

The author, Max Arthur, has spent several years listening to thousands of recordings of the men and women who lived during this period. These tapes were kept as archival records in the Imperial War Museum, after they were collected in 1972. These are essentially the voices of a lost generation. The book is divided into chapters that cover every year of the war, from 1914 to 1918. Within these chapters are accounts taken from individual campaigns or battles such as Gallipoli, The Second Battle of Ypres, or the Battle of Mons.

Arthur has sifted through these records to bring out the most varied and unique stories. We are told about gas attacks, boredom or banter between soldiers, but we also get to hear the points of view of people like Elizabeth Owen, who was a schoolgirl at the outbreak of the war. Many of these stories are touching and funny, while others can be truly horrifying. In the section on Gallipoli for instance, we get a story of the games played between British and Turkish soldiers, with some of them throwing tinned bully beef and strings of figs to each other as presents. In the same section it also tells you of the horrible and undignified deaths caused by dysentry and other diseases, which will probably be some of the most terrible accounts of the war you will ever read.

This is an incredibly powerful and important book. If you have ever wondered about life during the First World War, then this book should be the first one you read. Extraordinay.

Not everyone can get to source documents, 23 May 2008
This book is now part of a series collated from the IWM archives. Not everyone can get to source documents through time or distance. This book has brought some of the sources into the public arena. Naturally such short personal reminicences give a fragmented picture. If you want opinions handed to you, read a 'definitive' history. All history books, however good, are shaped by the author. If a book like this makes you question recived wisdom, it has done its job.

Good, but difficult to put in context., 22 May 2008
This is an excellent collection of first-hand accounts of the Great War, from a variety of different contemporary contributors to that war.

The only problem with this book is that it divorces the account from much of the wider picture, so it tends to foster a 'I've read that book, I know all about WW1 now' sort of attitude. Perhaps it's just a reflection of our rushed aged, but I think the many other books, which describe some of the development of the war and intertwine similar first-hand accounts, do more justice to those milions who gave their lives on all sides, than a quick flit through this collection of stand-alone, very short stories.

Admittedly, the book has a very important role to play in appealing to those who may othwerwise not take an interest in WW1, so for that reason alone, it is a worthwhile production.

An excellent text!, 22 Jan 2008
I found this text brilliant for a module in my second year of a Biology degree; the information is concise and to the point, the multimedia disk is brilliant and the questions helped to prepare me for my exams and had me thinking more outside the box. There are many wonderful diagrams, but the CD reminds a student that cells are 3D, dynamic entities and not flat and lifeless on a page.

A wonderful resource!

Well written and concise, 24 Apr 2007
As an A level Biology teacher I bought this book to better teach the subject. It is very easy to read and the diagrams are very clear. It covers material in more detail than required for an A level student but would prove ideal for a first year biology or biochemistry course or any A level Biology teacher.
It does what it says in the title covering most aspects of cell physiology, I particularly liked its clear treatment of DNA replication and basic biochemistry. The book comes with a CD Rom containing stills and short animations some of which are superb teaching material, I particularly enjoyed the ATPase movie. On the downside some of the CD Rom files seemed empty of content but that is my only gripe, overall a great book.

Excellent, 29 Jun 2004
Excellent for all biology related degree courses. It gives advice and structure on everything from essay writing to PCR.

An exceptional reference for biochemistry students., 15 Sep 2001
This book has excellent information relating to many biochemical practicals. I honestly think it would be really useful to those students who wish to do a Biolody/Chemistry Joint degree. I myself have found it very helpful.

Great....but not that great, 30 Aug 2001
A tolerable reference, especially for cell signalling/transduction, but not the killer text everyone makes it out to be. Having just finished the first year of a microbiology/virology degree, I can honestly say that I have used Lubert Stryer's Biochemistry more frequently, and if you want cell biology, buy a copy of Molecular Biology Of The Cell by Alberts et al. instead. Of course, if you like nice bright pictures, then this is probably for you. Otherwise, the money is better spent elsewhere.

Superb, highly readable book, with excellent CDROM, 11 Aug 2001
I was very impressed with this book. It is logically set out, with many helpful diagrams reinforcing the text. At the same time it is highly readable. I had expected the CDROM to be a bit of a gimmick, but far from it. The CDROM animations accompanying some of the more difficult sections of the book really do help in understanding cell functions, eg the graphical representation of ribosome assembly and protein synthesis from mRNAs, and the animation illustrating the life cycle of mRNAs.

Disorganized and hard to read, 18 Jul 2001
This textbook is the most disorgnized that I have yet had to use. Reading assignments on each simple subject had to come from 3 different chapters in which the same information was repeated, altered slightly, and added to. The result of studying this text was always confusion. The book is full of information, but it's not put into any sort of order, rendering most of it useless, since it can't be found when you need it. This text is utterly unreadable.

A great book for anyone interested i biotechnology, 13 Mar 1999
This is one of the first book that I have read that dosen't contain idle chit-chat and contemplations from the author. It's direct and serious about giving a wide view on theory and methods from the world of biochemistry. Thumbs up :-)

the new edition is incomplete, 18 Jul 2008
I really liked the Alberts. That's why I bought the new edition, my last edition is now more than 10 years old. What I liked was the coverage of a wide area of cell biology from the basics to developmental biology and immunology. I was therefore very disappointed when I read in the preface that the current paperback edition does not contain all chapters, some chapters are only available on the CD that is included with the book. What am I supposed to do, print the 300 missing pages? If you want the complete book you have to buy the hardback version, currently at about £100- I guess this was a trick of the publisher to rip of libraries, at least our library decided to buy the complete book at twice the price of the paperback...


A must for biology undergraduates., 03 Dec 2005
A really good textbook for all undergraduate biology and biochemistry students. One of the only books I consistently used throughout my course. I am now a teacher, and often use it to help bridge the gap for my students between A levels and university. It is very clear and the diagrams are excellent. If I were a student considering buying this book, I am not sure that I would spend the extra money on buying the latest edition. It costs enough to go to university as it is! If you do buy it used though, make sure it's in good condition as it will be well used.

Not bad! :), 05 Nov 2001
Good chapters on enzyme kinetics. Skips around, but it's all there. Easy reading (for biochem). Better than stryer ;).

Excellent book but out of date, 20 Sep 2001
A wonderfully written and illustrated book, but now totally out of date and in serious need of a new edition. Where is it?!

A foundation Text., 03 Sep 2001
This is an excellent, informative text. I used it extensively through my first degree, my masters and I even refer to it now while I'm doing my PhD. Money well spent.

Compelling Reading, 18 Nov 2008
The recent 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War spurred me to seek out some literature on the subject. My mother's father fought at Ypres and Arras, and was invalided home after a mustard gas attack. I was only 10 years old when he died, but I wish I could have talked to him about his experiences. This book gives a potted history of each year of the war followed by accounts of various survivors who were interviewed in the 1970's. I aim to read more of the Forgotten Voices series to further my knowledge. I received Harry Patch's The Last Fighting Tommy in the post today and look forward to reading his highly acclaimed account of his time in the trenches.

A window through time, 05 Nov 2008
War is never going to be a pleasant thing to read about, and this is no exception - it consists of testimonies from survivors, which have been cut into chunks and organised so that they refer to events in the order that they happened.

I happened across this in a charity shop at the end of October, and I can think of no better way to understand the real meaning of Armstice day - the absolute horror of the things they went through is something that I'd never be able to do. You get a real flavour of the way people were then too - women back in England handing out feathers (the symbol of a coward) to men in the street, completely unaware that a lot of them were back from the trenches sans uniform, which really affected the soldiers.

I won't go into the individual stories, but you can hear the voices rising from the page as you read - as an ex-actor, this is excellent source material if you're doing something set in this period.

A REALLY REALLY GOOD READ. Not many books have affected me as much as this one.

Voices of the Lost Generation, 30 Jul 2008
Forgotten Voices of the Great War is a collection of real life experiences of the First World War, as told by the ordinary people who lived through it.
I must admit that my knowledge of the First World War is a little blank. My only previous experience of this period was through school lessons about trench warfare, or by watching Blackadder goes forth. Therefore I can't make an analysis about the historical accuracy of the book. But what I can say is that I found it a very powerful and poignant work.

The author, Max Arthur, has spent several years listening to thousands of recordings of the men and women who lived during this period. These tapes were kept as archival records in the Imperial War Museum, after they were collected in 1972. These are essentially the voices of a lost generation. The book is divided into chapters that cover every year of the war, from 1914 to 1918. Within these chapters are accounts taken from individual campaigns or battles such as Gallipoli, The Second Battle of Ypres, or the Battle of Mons.

Arthur has sifted through these records to bring out the most varied and unique stories. We are told about gas attacks, boredom or banter between soldiers, but we also get to hear the points of view of people like Elizabeth Owen, who was a schoolgirl at the outbreak of the war. Many of these stories are touching and funny, while others can be truly horrifying. In the section on Gallipoli for instance, we get a story of the games played between British and Turkish soldiers, with some of them throwing tinned bully beef and strings of figs to each other as presents. In the same section it also tells you of the horrible and undignified deaths caused by dysentry and other diseases, which will probably be some of the most terrible accounts of the war you will ever read.

This is an incredibly powerful and important book. If you have ever wondered about life during the First World War, then this book should be the first one you read. Extraordinay.

Not everyone can get to source documents, 23 May 2008
This book is now part of a series collated from the IWM archives. Not everyone can get to source documents through time or distance. This book has brought some of the sources into the public arena. Naturally such short personal reminicences give a fragmented picture. If you want opinions handed to you, read a 'definitive' history. All history books, however good, are shaped by the author. If a book like this makes you question recived wisdom, it has done its job.

Good, but difficult to put in context., 22 May 2008
This is an excellent collection of first-hand accounts of the Great War, from a variety of different contemporary contributors to that war.

The only problem with this book is that it divorces the account from much of the wider picture, so it tends to foster a 'I've read that book, I know all about WW1 now' sort of attitude. Perhaps it's just a reflection of our rushed aged, but I think the many other books, which describe some of the development of the war and intertwine similar first-hand accounts, do more justice to those milions who gave their lives on all sides, than a quick flit through this collection of stand-alone, very short stories.

Admittedly, the book has a very important role to play in appealing to those who may othwerwise not take an interest in WW1, so for that reason alone, it is a worthwhile production.

An excellent text!, 22 Jan 2008
I found this text brilliant for a module in my second year of a Biology degree; the information is concise and to the point, the multimedia disk is brilliant and the questions helped to prepare me for my exams and had me thinking more outside the box. There are many wonderful diagrams, but the CD reminds a student that cells are 3D, dynamic entities and not flat and lifeless on a page.

A wonderful resource!

Well written and concise, 24 Apr 2007
As an A level Biology teacher I bought this book to better teach the subject. It is very easy to read and the diagrams are very clear. It covers material in more detail than required for an A level student but would prove ideal for a first year biology or biochemistry course or any A level Biology teacher.
It does what it says in the title covering most aspects of cell physiology, I particularly liked its clear treatment of DNA replication and basic biochemistry. The book comes with a CD Rom containing stills and short animations some of which are superb teaching material, I particularly enjoyed the ATPase movie. On the downside some of the CD Rom files seemed empty of content but that is my only gripe, overall a great book.

Excellent, 29 Jun 2004
Excellent for all biology related degree courses. It gives advice and structure on everything from essay writing to PCR.

An exceptional reference for biochemistry students., 15 Sep 2001
This book has excellent information relating to many biochemical practicals. I honestly think it would be really useful to those students who wish to do a Biolody/Chemistry Joint degree. I myself have found it very helpful.

Great....but not that great, 30 Aug 2001
A tolerable reference, especially for cell signalling/transduction, but not the killer text everyone makes it out to be. Having just finished the first year of a microbiology/virology degree, I can honestly say that I have used Lubert Stryer's Biochemistry more frequently, and if you want cell biology, buy a copy of Molecular Biology Of The Cell by Alberts et al. instead. Of course, if you like nice bright pictures, then this is probably for you. Otherwise, the money is better spent elsewhere.

Superb, highly readable book, with excellent CDROM, 11 Aug 2001
I was very impressed with this book. It is logically set out, with many helpful diagrams reinforcing the text. At the same time it is highly readable. I had expected the CDROM to be a bit of a gimmick, but far from it. The CDROM animations accompanying some of the more difficult sections of the book really do help in understanding cell functions, eg the graphical representation of ribosome assembly and protein synthesis from mRNAs, and the animation illustrating the life cycle of mRNAs.

Disorganized and hard to read, 18 Jul 2001
This textbook is the most disorgnized that I have yet had to use. Reading assignments on each simple subject had to come from 3 different chapters in which the same information was repeated, altered slightly, and added to. The result of studying this text was always confusion. The book is full of information, but it's not put into any sort of order, rendering most of it useless, since it can't be found when you need it. This text is utterly unreadable.

A great book for anyone interested i biotechnology, 13 Mar 1999
This is one of the first book that I have read that dosen't contain idle chit-chat and contemplations from the author. It's direct and serious about giving a wide view on theory and methods from the world of biochemistry. Thumbs up :-)

A whole new world of evolution opened up, 11 Nov 2008
You're certain that the universe contains other complex life forms? -- this book questions that statistical assumption.
This is a wonderful read, and takes you into areas which, even when you've a scientific background, are mostly unfamiliar territory - mitochondria....... but are they that important? - you bet they are.
First we wouldn't be here, we simply would not have evolved, had mitochondria not come into existence.How this is likely to have come about is extensively discussed.
Secondly, the author is of the view that the likelyhood of mitochondria coming into existence at all is so amazingly miniscule that, even by the universe's standards of space and time ( so huge that other theories make the probability if complex life forming a statistical near certainty ) it is, he argues, extremely unlikely to have occured more than the once that has spawned us !
Thirdly, the mitochondrion, as the powerhouse of the cell, is also the seat of much that can go wrong, and ageing and cancer etc are examines from this perspective.
Finally, the genes in mitochondria can themselves mutate and are themselves subject to natural selection - not only that, but they are actually passed down into the next generation via the gamete ( only via the maternal line )........ this is another evolutionary route which has all sorts of interesting implications.
Mitochondria - they're where it's all at !

Excellent!, 21 Apr 2008
A fascinating overview of the importance of mitochondria, with some speculation clearly explained. It's a complicated subject, but extremely well written. Overpriced? hardly. Not sure what the previous reviewer thought the pictures could be of, anyway...

Best book of the year , 01 Jan 2008
Although I was initially put off by the gimmicky title I am pleased to report that this is a really good book and should suit those with an interest in cellular biology or evolution.
I feared that this would be one of those pop-science books full of sloppy terminology and exclaimation marks.In the event this was a fascinating read about the evolution of the eukaryotic cell, and the role of mitochondria. Difficult to put down. Buy it.


Ohh mitochondria, tell us the truth, 17 Sep 2007
What a book, absolutely fascinating and highly recommended, although I must say that this is not an easy book, in fact is kind of complex if you are not acquainted with the subject. This is not a critic, thing is I would not change a bit of it, but in my opinion, people should have a little knowledge of cellular metabolism and biochemistry before attempting this book.

After reading Dawkins book about the selfish gene, it was inevitable for me to wonder about life origins, why unicellular organisms have that tendency to complexity and to group itself, and how all this machinery works. This book provide a thorough and absorbing biography of Mitochondria and its symbiosis with eukaryotes, what is the function of each one, why there are two sexes and why we aged and finally become history. As you will see, our understanding of these matters is rather modest, the author insinuate possible solutions to some of the big questions, but in any case the subject is so interesting that you read this book excited all the way to the end.

How beautiful is life and how complex ... you can see that just watching a little fly and wonder how on earth this insect manage to fly, as if eukaryotes have a previous knowledge of Physics, as if they have all the basic solutions of nature in a template. I just know one thing: I want to know and read more about it.

Outstanding, 10 Jul 2007
This book is really outstanding. It contains a tremendous lot of interesting new information. Highly recommended!

the new edition is incomplete, 18 Jul 2008
I really liked the Alberts. That's why I bought the new edition, my last edition is now more than 10 years old. What I liked was the coverage of a wide area of cell biology from the basics to developmental biology and immunology. I was therefore very disappointed when I read in the preface that the current paperback edition does not contain all chapters, some chapters are only available on the CD that is included with the book. What am I supposed to do, print the 300 missing pages? If you want the complete book you have to buy the hardback version, currently at about £100- I guess this was a trick of the publisher to rip of libraries, at least our library decided to buy the complete book at twice the price of the paperback...


A must for biology undergraduates., 03 Dec 2005
A really good textbook for all undergraduate biology and biochemistry students. One of the only books I consistently used throughout my course. I am now a teacher, and often use it to help bridge the gap for my students between A levels and university. It is very clear and the diagrams are excellent. If I were a student considering buying this book, I am not sure that I would spend the extra money on buying the latest edition. It costs enough to go to university as it is! If you do buy it used though, make sure it's in good condition as it will be well used.

Not bad! :), 05 Nov 2001
Good chapters on enzyme kinetics. Skips around, but it's all there. Easy reading (for biochem). Better than stryer ;).

Excellent book but out of date, 20 Sep 2001
A wonderfully written and illustrated book, but now totally out of date and in serious need of a new edition. Where is it?!

A foundation Text., 03 Sep 2001
This is an excellent, informative text. I used it extensively through my first degree, my masters and I even refer to it now while I'm doing my PhD. Money well spent.

Compelling Reading, 18 Nov 2008
The recent 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War spurred me to seek out some literature on the subject. My mother's father fought at Ypres and Arras, and was invalided home after a mustard gas attack. I was only 10 years old when he died, but I wish I could have talked to him about his experiences. This book gives a potted history of each year of the war followed by accounts of various survivors who were interviewed in the 1970's. I aim to read more of the Forgotten Voices series to further my knowledge. I received Harry Patch's The Last Fighting Tommy in the post today and look forward to reading his highly acclaimed account of his time in the trenches.

A window through time, 05 Nov 2008
War is never going to be a pleasant thing to read about, and this is no exception - it consists of testimonies from survivors, which have been cut into chunks and organised so that they refer to events in the order that they happened.

I happened across this in a charity shop at the end of October, and I can think of no better way to understand the real meaning of Armstice day - the absolute horror of the things they went through is something that I'd never be able to do. You get a real flavour of the way people were then too - women back in England handing out feathers (the symbol of a coward) to men in the street, completely unaware that a lot of them were back from the trenches sans uniform, which really affected the soldiers.

I won't go into the individual stories, but you can hear the voices rising from the page as you read - as an ex-actor, this is excellent source material if you're doing something set in this period.

A REALLY REALLY GOOD READ. Not many books have affected me as much as this one.

Voices of the Lost Generation, 30 Jul 2008
Forgotten Voices of the Great War is a collection of real life experiences of the First World War, as told by the ordinary people who lived through it.
I must admit that my knowledge of the First World War is a little blank. My only previous experience of this period was through school lessons about trench warfare, or by watching Blackadder goes forth. Therefore I can't make an analysis about the historical accuracy of the book. But what I can say is that I found it a very powerful and poignant work.

The author, Max Arthur, has spent several years listening to thousands of recordings of the men and women who lived during this period. These tapes were kept as archival records in the Imperial War Museum, after they were collected in 1972. These are essentially the voices of a lost generation. The book is divided into chapters that cover every year of the war, from 1914 to 1918. Within these chapters are accounts taken from individual campaigns or battles such as Gallipoli, The Second Battle of Ypres, or the Battle of Mons.

Arthur has sifted through these records to bring out the most varied and unique stories. We are told about gas attacks, boredom or banter between soldiers, but we also get to hear the points of view of people like Elizabeth Owen, who was a schoolgirl at the outbreak of the war. Many of these stories are touching and funny, while others can be truly horrifying. In the section on Gallipoli for instance, we get a story of the games played between British and Turkish soldiers, with some of them throwing tinned bully beef and strings of figs to each other as presents. In the same section it also tells you of the horrible and undignified deaths caused by dysentry and other diseases, which will probably be some of the most terrible accounts of the war you will ever read.

This is an incredibly powerful and important book. If you have ever wondered about life during the First World War, then this book should be the first one you read. Extraordinay.

Not everyone can get to source documents, 23 May 2008
This book is now part of a series collated from the IWM archives. Not everyone can get to source documents through time or distance. This book has brought some of the sources into the public arena. Naturally such short personal reminicences give a fragmented picture. If you want opinions handed to you, read a 'definitive' history. All history books, however good, are shaped by the author. If a book like this makes you question recived wisdom, it has done its job.

Good, but difficult to put in context., 22 May 2008
This is an excellent collection of first-hand accounts of the Great War, from a variety of different contemporary contributors to that war.

The only problem with this book is that it divorces the account from much of the wider picture, so it tends to foster a 'I've read that book, I know all about WW1 now' sort of attitude. Perhaps it's just a reflection of our rushed aged, but I think the many other books, which describe some of the development of the war and intertwine similar first-hand accounts, do more justice to those milions who gave their lives on all sides, than a quick flit through this collection of stand-alone, very short stories.

Admittedly, the book has a very important role to play in appealing to those who may othwerwise not take an interest in WW1, so for that reason alone, it is a worthwhile production.

An excellent text!, 22 Jan 2008
I found this text brilliant for a module in my second year of a Biology degree; the information is concise and to the point, the multimedia disk is brilliant and the questions helped to prepare me for my exams and had me thinking more outside the box. There are many wonderful diagrams, but the CD reminds a student that cells are 3D, dynamic entities and not flat and lifeless on a page.

A wonderful resource!

Well written and concise, 24 Apr 2007
As an A level Biology teacher I bought this book to better teach the subject. It is very easy to read and the diagrams are very clear. It covers material in more detail than required for an A level student but would prove ideal for a first year biology or biochemistry course or any A level Biology teacher.
It does what it says in the title covering most aspects of cell physiology, I particularly liked its clear treatment of DNA replication and basic biochemistry. The book comes with a CD Rom containing stills and short animations some of which are superb teaching material, I particularly enjoyed the ATPase movie. On the downside some of the CD Rom files seemed empty of content but that is my only gripe, overall a great book.

Excellent, 29 Jun 2004
Excellent for all biology related degree courses. It gives advice and structure on everything from essay writing to PCR.

An exceptional reference for biochemistry students., 15 Sep 2001
This book has excellent information relating to many biochemical practicals. I honestly think it would be really useful to those students who wish to do a Biolody/Chemistry Joint degree. I myself have found it very helpful.

Great....but not that great, 30 Aug 2001
A tolerable reference, especially for cell signalling/transduction, but not the killer text everyone makes it out to be. Having just finished the first year of a microbiology/virology degree, I can honestly say that I have used Lubert Stryer's Biochemistry more frequently, and if you want cell biology, buy a copy of Molecular Biology Of The Cell by Alberts et al. instead. Of course, if you like nice bright pictures, then this is probably for you. Otherwise, the money is better spent elsewhere.

Superb, highly readable book, with excellent CDROM, 11 Aug 2001
I was very impressed with this book. It is logically set out, with many helpful diagrams reinforcing the text. At the same time it is highly readable. I had expected the CDROM to be a bit of a gimmick, but far from it. The CDROM animations accompanying some of the more difficult sections of the book really do help in understanding cell functions, eg the graphical representation of ribosome assembly and protein synthesis from mRNAs, and the animation illustrating the life cycle of mRNAs.

Disorganized and hard to read, 18 Jul 2001
This textbook is the most disorgnized that I have yet had to use. Reading assignments on each simple subject had to come from 3 different chapters in which the same information was repeated, altered slightly, and added to. The result of studying this text was always confusion. The book is full of information, but it's not put into any sort of order, rendering most of it useless, since it can't be found when you need it. This text is utterly unreadable.

A great book for anyone interested i biotechnology, 13 Mar 1999
This is one of the first book that I have read that dosen't contain idle chit-chat and contemplations from the author. It's direct and serious about giving a wide view on theory and methods from the world of biochemistry. Thumbs up :-)

A whole new world of evolution opened up, 11 Nov 2008
You're certain that the universe contains other complex life forms? -- this book questions that statistical assumption.
This is a wonderful read, and takes you into areas which, even when you've a scientific background, are mostly unfamiliar territory - mitochondria....... but are they that important? - you bet they are.
First we wouldn't be here, we simply would not have evolved, had mitochondria not come into existence.How this is likely to have come about is extensively discussed.
Secondly, the author is of the view that the likelyhood of mitochondria coming into existence at all is so amazingly miniscule that, even by the universe's standards of space and time ( so huge that other theories make the probability if complex life forming a statistical near certainty ) it is, he argues, extremely unlikely to have occured more than the once that has spawned us !
Thirdly, the mitochondrion, as the powerhouse of the cell, is also the seat of much that can go wrong, and ageing and cancer etc are examines from this perspective.
Finally, the genes in mitochondria can themselves mutate and are themselves subject to natural selection - not only that, but they are actually passed down into the next generation via the gamete ( only via the maternal line )........ this is another evolutionary route which has all sorts of interesting implications.
Mitochondria - they're where it's all at !

Excellent!, 21 Apr 2008
A fascinating overview of the importance of mitochondria, with some speculation clearly explained. It's a complicated subject, but extremely well written. Overpriced? hardly. Not sure what the previous reviewer thought the pictures could be of, anyway...

Best book of the year , 01 Jan 2008
Although I was initially put off by the gimmicky title I am pleased to report that this is a really good book and should suit those with an interest in cellular biology or evolution.
I feared that this would be one of those pop-science books full of sloppy terminology and exclaimation marks.In the event this was a fascinating read about the evolution of the eukaryotic cell, and the role of mitochondria. Difficult to put down. Buy it.


Ohh mitochondria, tell us the truth, 17 Sep 2007
What a book, absolutely fascinating and highly recommended, although I must say that this is not an easy book, in fact is kind of complex if you are not acquainted with the subject. This is not a critic, thing is I would not change a bit of it, but in my opinion, people should have a little knowledge of cellular metabolism and biochemistry before attempting this book.

After reading Dawkins book about the selfish gene, it was inevitable for me to wonder about life origins, why unicellular organisms have that tendency to complexity and to group itself, and how all this machinery works. This book provide a thorough and absorbing biography of Mitochondria and its symbiosis with eukaryotes, what is the function of each one, why there are two sexes and why we aged and finally become history. As you will see, our understanding of these matters is rather modest, the author insinuate possible solutions to some of the big questions, but in any case the subject is so interesting that you read this book excited all the way to the end.

How beautiful is life and how complex ... you can see that just watching a little fly and wonder how on earth this insect manage to fly, as if eukaryotes have a previous knowledge of Physics, as if they have all the basic solutions of nature in a template. I just know one thing: I want to know and read more about it.

Outstanding, 10 Jul 2007
This book is really outstanding. It contains a tremendous lot of interesting new information. Highly recommended!

Wonderful, 03 Oct 2008
Quite honestly, having been living in Denmark for near enough a year, I had put this little book to one side, I'd read a few pages and thought "this can't be right, its judgemental and generalistic".
I picked it up the other day, read a bit, to pass a minute or two, of course I read the lot.
It is worryingly enlightening, with same effect as turning a light on in a room, you get the detail, but must not go and tell the other person in the room that they have spinach on their teeth. Of course a Dane would never have spinach on their teeth, (they must carry a personal grooming kit, even the car mechanics are spotlessly clean).
A must read, but to benefit, read it after experiencing a bit first, then you will get the full effect, that is except the section on driving and cycling, as it may well save your life, or at least explain the suicidal cyclist, who riding in London, would be in the back of an ambulance within five minutes.

Essential reading for anyone moving to Denmark, 25 Oct 2007
The author portrays many negative Danish characteristics, including arrogance and narrow-mindedness. The sad thing being that it is unfortunately true, and living here for 3 years, I feel justified in having earnt the right to an opinion about it (clubbed over the head by the missus and dragged over...men with Danish partners, you have been warned!).

Yes, I've met many nice Danes, but underneath it all there is indeed, as this book rightly says, a pity from them to you on account of your non-Danishness and your general bad luck to have not been born in Denmark.

And if anyone wants to accuse me of any of the same characteristics, then I'm a Brit and the English one has many elements I agree with! A great series of books, these short guides are. Highly recommended.

Not quite accurate....., 25 Sep 2007
This small book, although an entertaining read, is only about 50% accurate regarding its view of Denmark and the Danes. I originally read this book over two years ago before moving to Denmark and have recently reread it. Having experienced Denmark first hand from a non-Scandinavian viewpoint I would recommend that you buy this book for entertainment rather than to prepare you for life in Denmark. As you will learn if you ever move to Denmark, the Danish/Scandinavians' view of Denmark is somewhat different from that of outsiders.......

Both good fun and true, 03 May 2004
A real life-saver. I've been living in Denmark for 4 months now and I bought this book just before I left - it has proved invaluable! It covers how the danes see themselves and their neighbours, social customs, etc., as well as trivia that would take you years to find out otherwise.

One of the best things about this book is the writing style - it's to-the-point and humourous, making the book entertaining to read. If you really want to understand the danes then this book will fill you in on all the essential details.

The true nature of the Danes revealed!, 13 Dec 2000
I admit to being a Dane, and reading this book my reactions alternated between amused pride and sincere embarrassment as I saw one layer after another of our national character accurately dissected, -but most of all I laughed!

This book has a wonderful energetic sense of irony and humour, combined with a deep insight into the Danish culture and mentality. The only objection I have to some of the conclusions and observations is that they are rather obviously made in Copenhagen and apply the best to Danes from the capital. Denmark is a small country, but there is still some regional variance in our culture. For instance, people in Jutland have a better sense of humour than those in Copenhagen. I think a Copenhagen Dane might have laughed less...

If you are going to Denmark, if you have travelled or lived there for a while, if you hate us, love us, or feel puzzled about us, or if you are a Dane yourself, you will almost certainly enjoy this book!

the new edition is incomplete, 18 Jul 2008
I really liked the Alberts. That's why I bought the new edition, my last edition is now more than 10 years old. What I liked was the coverage of a wide area of cell biology from the basics to developmental biology and immunology. I was therefore very disappointed when I read in the preface that the current paperback edition does not contain all chapters, some chapters are only available on the CD that is included with the book. What am I supposed to do, print the 300 missing pages? If you want the complete book you have to buy the hardback version, currently at about £100- I guess this was a trick of the publisher to rip of libraries, at least our library decided to buy the complete book at twice the price of the paperback...


A must for biology undergraduates., 03 Dec 2005
A really good textbook for all undergraduate biology and biochemistry students. One of the only books I consistently used throughout my course. I am now a teacher, and often use it to help bridge the gap for my students between A levels and university. It is very clear and the diagrams are excellent. If I were a student considering buying this book, I am not sure that I would spend the extra money on buying the latest edition. It costs enough to go to university as it is! If you do buy it used though, make sure it's in good condition as it will be well used.

Not bad! :), 05 Nov 2001
Good chapters on enzyme kinetics. Skips around, but it's all there. Easy reading (for biochem). Better than stryer ;).

Excellent book but out of date, 20 Sep 2001
A wonderfully written and illustrated book, but now totally out of date and in serious need of a new edition. Where is it?!

A foundation Text., 03 Sep 2001
This is an excellent, informative text. I used it extensively through my first degree, my masters and I even refer to it now while I'm doing my PhD. Money well spent.

Compelling Reading, 18 Nov 2008
The recent 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War spurred me to seek out some literature on the subject. My mother's father fought at Ypres and Arras, and was invalided home after a mustard gas attack. I was only 10 years old when he died, but I wish I could have talked to him about his experiences. This book gives a potted history of each year of the war followed by accounts of various survivors who were interviewed in the 1970's. I aim to read more of the Forgotten Voices series to further my knowledge. I received Harry Patch's The Last Fighting Tommy in the post today and look forward to reading his highly acclaimed account of his time in the trenches.

A window through time, 05 Nov 2008
War is never going to be a pleasant thing to read about, and this is no exception - it consists of testimonies from survivors, which have been cut into chunks and organised so that they refer to events in the order that they happened.

I happened across this in a charity shop at the end of October, and I can think of no better way to understand the real meaning of Armstice day - the absolute horror of the things they went through is something that I'd never be able to do. You get a real flavour of the way people were then too - women back in England handing out feathers (the symbol of a coward) to men in the street, completely unaware that a lot of them were back from the trenches sans uniform, which really affected the soldiers.

I won't go into the individual stories, but you can hear the voices rising from the page as you read - as an ex-actor, this is excellent source material if you're doing something set in this period.

A REALLY REALLY GOOD READ. Not many books have affected me as much as this one.

Voices of the Lost Generation, 30 Jul 2008
Forgotten Voices of the Great War is a collection of real life experiences of the First World War, as told by the ordinary people who lived through it.
I must admit that my knowledge of the First World War is a little blank. My only previous experience of this period was through school lessons about trench warfare, or by watching Blackadder goes forth. Therefore I can't make an analysis about the historical accuracy of the book. But what I can say is that I found it a very powerful and poignant work.

The author, Max Arthur, has spent several years listening to thousands of recordings of the men and women who lived during this period. These tapes were kept as archival records in the Imperial War Museum, after they were collected in 1972. These are essentially the voices of a lost generation. The book is divided into chapters that cover every year of the war, from 1914 to 1918. Within these chapters are accounts taken from individual campaigns or battles such as Gallipoli, The Second Battle of Ypres, or the Battle of Mons.

Arthur has sifted through these records to bring out the most varied and unique stories. We are told about gas attacks, boredom or banter between soldiers, but we also get to hear the points of view of people like Elizabeth Owen, who was a schoolgirl at the outbreak of the war. Many of these stories are touching and funny, while others can be truly horrifying. In the section on Gallipoli for instance, we get a story of the games played between British and Turkish soldiers, with some of them throwing tinned bully beef and strings of figs to each other as presents. In the same section it also tells you of the horrible and undignified deaths caused by dysentry and other diseases, which will probably be some of the most terrible accounts of the war you will ever read.

This is an incredibly powerful and important book. If you have ever wondered about life during the First World War, then this book should be the first one you read. Extraordinay.

Not everyone can get to source documents, 23 May 2008
This book is now part of a series collated from the IWM archives. Not everyone can get to source documents through time or distance. This book has brought some of the sources into the public arena. Naturally such short personal reminicences give a fragmented picture. If you want opinions handed to you, read a 'definitive' history. All history books, however good, are shaped by the author. If a book like this makes you question recived wisdom, it has done its job.

Good, but difficult to put in context., 22 May 2008
This is an excellent collection of first-hand accounts of the Great War, from a variety of different contemporary contributors to that war.

The only problem with this book is that it divorces the account from much of the wider picture, so it tends to foster a 'I've read that book, I know all about WW1 now' sort of attitude. Perhaps it's just a reflection of our rushed aged, but I think the many other books, which describe some of the development of the war and intertwine similar first-hand accounts, do more justice to those milions who gave their lives on all sides, than a quick flit through this collection of stand-alone, very short stories.

Admittedly, the book has a very important role to play in appealing to those who may othwerwise not take an interest in WW1, so for that reason alone, it is a worthwhile production.

An excellent text!, 22 Jan 2008
I found this text brilliant for a module in my second year of a Biology degree; the information is concise and to the point, the multimedia disk is brilliant and the questions helped to prepare me for my exams and had me thinking more outside the box. There are many wonderful diagrams, but the CD reminds a student that cells are 3D, dynamic entities and not flat and lifeless on a page.

A wonderful resource!

Well written and concise, 24 Apr 2007
As an A level Biology teacher I bought this book to better teach the subject. It is very easy to read and the diagrams are very clear. It covers material in more detail than required for an A level student but would prove ideal for a first year biology or biochemistry course or any A level Biology teacher.
It does what it says in the title covering most aspects of cell physiology, I particularly liked its clear treatment of DNA replication and basic biochemistry. The book comes with a CD Rom containing stills and short animations some of which are superb teaching material, I particularly enjoyed the ATPase movie. On the downside some of the CD Rom files seemed empty of content but that is my only gripe, overall a great book.

Excellent, 29 Jun 2004
Excellent for all biology related degree courses. It gives advice and structure on everything from essay writing to PCR.

An exceptional reference for biochemistry students., 15 Sep 2001
This book has excellent information relating to many biochemical practicals. I honestly think it would be really useful to those students who wish to do a Biolody/Chemistry Joint degree. I myself have found it very helpful.

Great....but not that great, 30 Aug 2001
A tolerable reference, especially for cell signalling/transduction, but not the killer text everyone makes it out to be. Having just finished the first year of a microbiology/virology degree, I can honestly say that I have used Lubert Stryer's Biochemistry more frequently, and if you want cell biology, buy a copy of Molecular Biology Of The Cell by Alberts et al. instead. Of course, if you like nice bright pictures, then this is probably for you. Otherwise, the money is better spent elsewhere.

Superb, highly readable book, with excellent CDROM, 11 Aug 2001
I was very impressed with this book. It is logically set out, with many helpful diagrams reinforcing the text. At the same time it is highly readable. I had expected the CDROM to be a bit of a gimmick, but far from it. The CDROM animations accompanying some of the more difficult sections of the book really do help in understanding cell functions, eg the graphical representation of ribosome assembly and protein synthesis from mRNAs, and the animation illustrating the life cycle of mRNAs.

Disorganized and hard to read, 18 Jul 2001
This textbook is the most disorgnized that I have yet had to use. Reading assignments on each simple subject had to come from 3 different chapters in which the same information was repeated, altered slightly, and added to. The result of studying this text was always confusion. The book is full of information, but it's not put into any sort of order, rendering most of it useless, since it can't be found when you need it. This text is utterly unreadable.

A great book for anyone interested i biotechnology, 13 Mar 1999
This is one of the first book that I have read that dosen't contain idle chit-chat and contemplations from the author. It's direct and serious about giving a wide view on theory and methods from the world of biochemistry. Thumbs up :-)

A whole new world of evolution opened up, 11 Nov 2008
You're certain that the universe contains other complex life forms? -- this book questions that statistical assumption.
This is a wonderful read, and takes you into areas which, even when you've a scientific background, are mostly unfamiliar territory - mitochondria....... but are they that important? - you bet they are.
First we wouldn't be here, we simply would not have evolved, had mitochondria not come into existence.How this is likely to have come about is extensively discussed.
Secondly, the author is of the view that the likelyhood of mitochondria coming into existence at all is so amazingly miniscule that, even by the universe's standards of space and time ( so huge that other theories make the probability if complex life forming a statistical near certainty ) it is, he argues, extremely unlikely to have occured more than the once that has spawned us !
Thirdly, the mitochondrion, as the powerhouse of the cell, is also the seat of much that can go wrong, and ageing and cancer etc are examines from this perspective.
Finally, the genes in mitochondria can themselves mutate and are themselves subject to natural selection - not only that, but they are actually passed down into the next generation via the gamete ( only via the maternal line )........ this is another evolutionary route which has all sorts of interesting implications.
Mitochondria - they're where it's all at !

Excellent!, 21 Apr 2008
A fascinating overview of the importance of mitochondria, with some speculation clearly explained. It's a complicated subject, but extremely well written. Overpriced? hardly. Not sure what the previous reviewer thought the pictures could be of, anyway...

Best book of the year , 01 Jan 2008
Although I was initially put off by the gimmicky title I am pleased to report that this is a really good book and should suit those with an interest in cellular biology or evolution.
I feared that this would be one of those pop-science books full of sloppy terminology and exclaimation marks.In the event this was a fascinating read about the evolution of the eukaryotic cell, and the role of mitochondria. Difficult to put down. Buy it.


Ohh mitochondria, tell us the truth, 17 Sep 2007
What a book, absolutely fascinating and highly recommended, although I must say that this is not an easy book, in fact is kind of complex if you are not acquainted with the subject. This is not a critic, thing is I would not change a bit of it, but in my opinion, people should have a little knowledge of cellular metabolism and biochemistry before attempting this book.

After reading Dawkins book about the selfish gene, it was inevitable for me to wonder about life origins, why unicellular organisms have that tendency to complexity and to group itself, and how all this machinery works. This book provide a thorough and absorbing biography of Mitochondria and its symbiosis with eukaryotes, what is the function of each one, why there are two sexes and why we aged and finally become history. As you will see, our understanding of these matters is rather modest, the author insinuate possible solutions to some of the big questions, but in any case the subject is so interesting that you read this book excited all the way to the end.

How beautiful is life and how complex ... you can see that just watching a little fly and wonder how on earth this insect manage to fly, as if eukaryotes have a previous knowledge of Physics, as if they have all the basic solutions of nature in a template. I just know one thing: I want to know and read more about it.

Outstanding, 10 Jul 2007
This book is really outstanding. It contains a tremendous lot of interesting new information. Highly recommended!

Wonderful, 03 Oct 2008
Quite honestly, having been living in Denmark for near enough a year, I had put this little book to one side, I'd read a few pages and thought "this can't be right, its judgemental and generalistic".
I picked it up the other day, read a bit, to pass a minute or two, of course I read the lot.
It is worryingly enlightening, with same effect as turning a light on in a room, you get the detail, but must not go and tell the other person in the room that they have spinach on their teeth. Of course a Dane would never have spinach on their teeth, (they must carry a personal grooming kit, even the car mechanics are spotlessly clean).
A must read, but to benefit, read it after experiencing a bit first, then you will get the full effect, that is except the section on driving and cycling, as it may well save your life, or at least explain the suicidal cyclist, who riding in London, would be in the back of an ambulance within five minutes.

Essential reading for anyone moving to Denmark, 25 Oct 2007
The author portrays many negative Danish characteristics, including arrogance and narrow-mindedness. The sad thing being that it is unfortunately true, and living here for 3 years, I feel justified in having earnt the right to an opinion about it (clubbed over the head by the missus and dragged over...men with Danish partners, you have been warned!).

Yes, I've met many nice Danes, but underneath it all there is indeed, as this book rightly says, a pity from them to you on account of your non-Danishness and your general bad luck to have not been born in Denmark.

And if anyone wants to accuse me of any of the same characteristics, then I'm a