Member Reviews
Before reading Know It All Biology I can't say I was that knowledgeable in biology. This was the first book in the "know it all" series I've read. The book is well written.
ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
All of the Know-It-All series of books are excellent! Each of them gives a synopsis of the most important things to know on the topic in a brief but well-laid-out manner, and Biology is no exception! These books are a good introduction or a good review, as well as a starting place for discovering which topics you'd like to learn more about afterwards -- and then you can get a more in-depth book on just that topic.
I really like these "Know It All" books - they break down complex subjects into bite-sized pieces and explain each topic a few different ways for maximum understanding. Reading these are a great way to increase your basic scientific literacy.
This is a great series of books. They give a snap chat of information at a glance and would make a great addition to a coffee table book collection in any home.
A great book about basic biology to teach our kids .........
The general concepts of biology explained in an easy and faster way. The bibliography is included. This is a good book to keep in high school libraries and universities. Good companion for 101 biology classes.
Struck Me As A Bit More Advanced Than Others in The Series
I'm a fan of the Know-It-All series, and have found all of the books to be either good introductions, (the more basic and general ones), or decent refreshers, (the more advanced ones). This Biology volume is the most advanced of the books I've tried. It's certainly not at all beyond a general reader, but because of its brief and stripped down treatments of a wide range of topics it seems to me that some prior familiarity with the topics would probably be useful. That said, careful reading will be rewarding for any level of reader.
The book has an interesting, little bit of everything, sort of structure. We start with basic life forms, and the discussion of viruses, archaea, bacteria, protists, and fungi, might seem daunting. But once the reader has that under his belt the book opens up a bit. The discussion of genes is especially well done, and will get DNA and RNA firmly back into your understanding. Moving from genes to organisms to growth & reproduction was also a nice organizing choice, and using that as a leadup to energy and nutrition struck me as a logical progression. The book wraps up with evolution and then ecology, which is, of course, currently pertinent.
The blurbs have you, supposedly, dominating dinner-party debates thanks to what you'll learn here. Well. I haven't recently had any bitter disputes over the Sunday roast about mitosis, but O.K.. On the other hand, in a world of cloning, gene-splicing, genetically modified foods, ecologic concern and nutrition wars, this book offers one a nice grounding. I found it useful, interesting, and rewarding.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Great introduction to biology
Much like the chemistry and inventions books in this series, the contributors and editors created a fun, easy to read introduction to biology. All the explanations are clear and written in a conversational tone. And each entry is accompanied by a beautiful illustration. Even though I have a strong biology background, I still found the overview provided by the book to be fun and I recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about biology.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
Beautifully concise book of biology's basic tenets. I really enjoy the easy to access format: from quick trivia to more in-depth discussions. A fun and educational book that is beautifully presented!
A book for those of us that have always had trouble becoming interested in the Natural Sciences. The book presents seven topics (Life, Genes, Genes to Organisms, Growth and Reproduction, Energy and Nutrition, Evolution, and Ecology). Every topic has a glossary, the biography of an outstanding Biologist, and a chapter discussing a controversial point related to that topic. The topics are divided into subtopics; for instance, some of Life’s subtopics are Origins of Life, Bacteria, Fungi, Plants, and Animals. Every subtopic contains a short but concise explanation, and the name of an expert on that specific subject. Obviously, this book’s purpose is not an in-depth discussion of Biology; I believe this book is designed to capture the reader’s attention and prompt him/her to explore more. The book offers the reader different points where to start their search; for instance, the list of books and websites presented at the end of the book. Lastly, right before the index, the book gives its readers short biographies of its editors and contributors. I thought this was a nice touch as this is a book that is trying to present readers with a variety of opportunities to search and learn more about its contents. I received a free copy via NetGalley.
This kind of book are always interesting. We learn a lot of things very usefull. I know nothing at biology. Now I can talk of it. This book give me the impression that I know thing. The presentation of that book is very great and beautiful. Thank you.