Good book in general, but marred by poor editing and website

I have nearly completed a year of biology with this book. In general it is well written and comprehensive. There are errors here and there; a few terms which appear in the glossary are not in the index, for example. It's rather distressing when all I can find is the glossary entry for a term. In a book that's 1200+ pages and on a topic this huge and complex, a properly cross-referenced index is an absolute essential.

The interviews at the beginning of each unit are worthwhile, if only to give one an idea of biology career possibilities. It's interesting that one of the people interviewed is Dr. Nancy Hopkins of MIT, the same scientist who stomped out in a huff during Dr. Summers' talk at Harvard because of a speculative remark about women and science. Her excuse was that his ideas "nauseated" her. Is this a scientist we should all emulate?

The real weakness in this book is the CD-ROM, which lists comprehensive resources such as animations and tutorials on the book material. Unfortunately, many of these are simply links to the publisher's web page, which requires registration and a 12-month limited access password. After 12 months you need to purchase access by the year, similar to subscribing to a magazine.

In this day and age, a CD-ROM is plenty big enough to store tons of animations, tutorials, documents, html, etc.; clearly the publisher is trying to make a quick buck off the students. Having already spent upwards of $120 for the text and study guide, I am reluctant to sink even more money into this publisher. What's more, other textbook publishers such as Pearson/Prentice Hall provide splendid supplemental websites that are freely accessible.

I wrote Benjamin Cummings a letter about this but did not receive a reply. My advice, therefore, is to buy this book used if possible and do like me and complain vociferously to the publisher to discourage this kind of shoddy practice in the future.

eternally resourceful

I first used this book for basic bio but as a near graduating student of science I find myself constantly refering to it. It has been great for quick reviews and basic vocab. that doesn't always stick with me. I have had many opportunities to sell this book but I wouldn't part with it for anything. I plan to use it until it falls apart.

Best Biology Book Out There

The Campbell and Reece Biology book is one of the best biology books out there. It is extremely well-written; the text is exciting and engaging and includes good examples to reinforce concepts. The illustrations are clear, well-done, and informative. The enclosed CD is an enormous help in studying. It helped me a lot when I was studying for my tests; the animations were particularly useful--they brought to life ideas and concepts from the book.

I used the book in my AP Biology class and I got a 5 on the exam. It's a fantastic book for studying and reading. I could probably learn better from the book than from my teacher.