I'm an undergraduate student in Biology and I was looking for the best book on the subject... after a hard selection of the best ones available, I came up with two great items: Lodish's Cell Molecular Biology and Alberts's Molecular Biology of the Cell.
When I spoke with my older colleagues in college and asked my Cell Biology teachers (they're both career researchers) for their opinion about what should I buy, I always received the same kind of answer: «Well, they're both great references, Lodish's is a very insightful text on the matter, as well as Alberts's. But you know... Alberts's is the real thing, the one to go for: It gives you the most wonderful and comprehensive view of the cellular world!»
So, I decided to buy Alberts's and indeed, it is a terrific book: accurate, up-to-date, really enjoyable to read (for those avid for scientific knowledge), the English is quite accessible, illustrations are excellent, a truly great achievement! From now on, this book will be my «bible»!

I've just finished reading this book and i feel this new edition is even better than it's predecessor, which is already not far from perfect. This well-known textbook is a comprehensive overview of what we have known about molecular cell biology, and what's more important is - every material here are treated very clearly and carefully, and this is where this book really shines - I even believe a layman with some elementary knowledge about chemistry and biology could not only read this book from cover to cover but also actually *understand* them.

Both the material and the references are quite up-to-date (not surprising), so don't hesitate to buy if you have the third edition.

I give it five stars because:
1) the authority is doubtless;
2) it's comprehensive, wide in scope;
3) the text is written in plain english, thus won't confuse students in the non-english speaking countries;
4) the figures are *really* excellent, IMHO better than any others that I have seen in other books;
5) the index is nice;

and some minor flaws:
The typesetting of "List of Topics" is somewhat... odd. There are no page numbers associate with the individual topics in that list too. Also I think the reference sections could be better.

So... let it be 4.5 stars.

Molecular Biology of the Cell is one of the best surveys available on the status of current information about cellular biology. The authors skillfully accomplish the difficult task of combining detail with readability while conveying the excitement of this dynamic field. Clear, concise, and colorful illustrations assist in this task and the book is a fine collection of splendidly dramatic photos of "molecular biology of the cell" in action. They covered an enormous amount of material with a style that is simple enough for a college-level biology student to follow with enough detail and references to be of use to an experienced research scientist. Bravo for a job well-done!

This lively book based on the same-titled hymn follows the adventures of a young boy and his faithful parrot as they explore God's kingdom. Written for kids ages 3-7, the text is lyrical and engrossing and the animals in the illustrations look completely real. The book ends with song lyrics and music.

This is an easy review - the book is simply great! If parents are willing to sit down with their children and read, especially starting before they are two years old, this book will help to spark the imagination of practically any child. The song couldn't make a better subject for a book. The story should help form the foundation for a strong moral and religious background. The illustrations are beautifully done and our twenty-two month old picks out things that we hadn't even noticed. I recommend the book to all parents and encourage them to read it nightly, taking the time to discuss what they see in the pictures. I sincerely hope the author has more projects in the works!

All creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all... This is a great hymn, one of my favorites (especially the arrangement by John Rutter). Reading (singing!) this book to my children has given them an appreciation for the beauty in God's world. The illustrations are the kind that a child is drawn into - the kind they can gaze at and imagine themselves in the scene.
A carefree country girl goes on a ramble as the hymn unfolds. My children (me too!) want to kick off their shoes and share in the child's absorption of the beauty around her.
Great way to children-ize a hymn.

The Trial and Death of Socrates, by Plato, is a timeless piece dealing with themes that are applicable to the generations of then, now and those to come. Written in the classic, observant, style of Plato, the book is a compilation of four dialogues that the main character, Socrates, engages in at various times with different people. Each dialogue is didactic in style and although they don't always end conclusively, they do provoke one to reflect upon that which is discussed. Throughout the book Socrates deals with such subjects as pious versus the impious, wise versus the unwise, and just versus the unjust. The book is set in Athens, in the year 399 B.C.E., and is written so that each section revolves around Socrates' trial as described in the section entitled "The Apology". The book focuses much attention on the trial in which Socrates is being tried for corrupting the youth and not believing in the gods recognized by the state. Aside from the philosophical side of Socrates, the reader is also introduced to his family and friends, thus observing the person who Socrates really was. Many readers are introduced to various sections of this book at some point in their education, yet those who never read the entire book miss altogether the importance of the relationships that Socrates has with others. It is through study of these relationships that the reader begins to view Socrates as a real human and develop a sympathetic connection with him. While the conversations are occasionally difficult to follow, the thoughts and philosophies of Socrates are profound and worth the invested time to understand. Each debate that Socrates partakes in introduces to the reader a new piece of knowledge or moral question to ponder. It is through the answers to these questions that the reader reaps the true benefit of tackling The Death and Trial of Socrates. Wisdom gained is worth more than the time invested.

For those of you who must have it all, buy PLATO COMPLETE WORKS, edited by John M. Cooper. Personally, I would save your [money] and just buy this. I have read and reviewed many other Platonic texts, but I really don't think you need anything else. This is the irreducible core of Platonic Goodness.

THE TRIAL AND DEATH OF SOCRATES is a compilation four dialogues: the "Euthyphro," the "Apology," "Crito," and the "Phaedo". As the title clearly states, these four dialogues convey the story - and philosophical debate - that surrounded Socates' trial and death. In these dialogues we find Socrates defending the righteousness of his actions and views, and tearing away at his prosecutors with the skill of expert lawyer. His only weapon being the truth.

In spite of, or perhaps because these four dialogues were written while Plato was still a middle-aged man (as opposed to the "Republic" and the "Laws," which are thought to be his more formulated philosophical expressions), they absolutely sizzle. The text bleeds with life, and so-called Socratic method of endless penetrating questions is here exemplified in the most dire of occasions - Socrates defense against the State of Athens.

It is in these dialogues that Plato expresses the core of philosopohy: a committment to truth, beauty and justice, and the the supreme tenent: "The unexamined life is not worth living." That said, if you still yearn for more Plato after reading these dialogues, grab a copy of Allan Bloom's translation of THE REPUBLIC. It is currently the best English translation available, and you will still be saving [money] over an edition of Plato's complete works.

This book really needs more attention than any other deserves. To understand this book is a life time challenge... So small yet so deep in thought...

This is a beautifully presented book. My students like it enormously, because of the conversational style, the illustrations, and the overall readibility -and this is perhaps the highest aim a textbook can aspire to achieve.

However, I find that the authors have gone too far in their attempt to abridge and simplify their previous opus -Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBOC): some topics are insufficiently or superficially discussed. Also, the style is slightly verbose at times. Finally, I think that the book could benefit from some reorganization.

The following examples illustrate my point.

*Osmosis is given a very brief mention.(p 382).
*The repulsion for anything mathematic continues the tradition started by MBOC. The Nernst equation, is given just a little box in page 393. The Donnan effect doesn't even have a walk-on part.
*The discussion of action potential contains the usual story of the voltage gated K+ channels, when these channels are not found in myelinated mammalian neurons.
*Myelin itself is not even mentioned.
*The discussion on G protein-linked receptors -a key topic- is very superficial.
*Membrane potential is introduced in a rather convoluted fashion. Furthermore, the concept is used several times before it is finally explained.
*Certain sections may leave the reader confused. For example p53 is described as a gene regulatory protein which arrests the cycle when DNA damage occurs (p 580). But when tumor suppressor genes are discussed, only retinoblastoma is given as an example, which would tend to convey the mistaken idea that p53 is not a tumor suppressor gene.

I recently bought the book "Essential Cell Biology: An Introduction to the Molecular Biology of the Cell" and studied it from cover to cover, including all the questions and answers. It was one of the greatest and most well-organized textbooks I have ever encountered. The language was very fluent, and especially some of the example questions were quite entertaining and witty. I haven't had any education neither in biology nor in molecular biology nor in biochemistry (my major is chemical engineering), still I didn't have any difficulties in understanding all the concepts presented in the book. The knowledge I gained from the book was a great help to me during the "GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology" which I took just yesterday. I am applying to graduate schools in the US for a Ph.D. degree in Molecular Biology or Bioengineering, and the test I took yesterday was crucial for my applications, in which (thanks to Essential Cell Biology) I believe I did quite well for a person without a background in the subject except a two-months-long self-study. This is a great and concise introductory textbook to the molecular biology of the cell, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in this subject with no or little background.

I read this book during the summer prior to me senior year in high school, and literally could not put it down. I read the whole work cover-to-cover in a week.

Going in, my background in biology was an introductory cell biology course and my background in chemistry was an introductory chemistry class. That I had little formal training in the sciences was irrelevant when reading this; it explains all the concepts so clearly that I think even a person with no background in science at all could understand it. The diagrams and photos are well-done and highly pertinent.

This is not to say that this book is only for non-scientists. Indeed, I even used knowledge gleaned from this fantastic book to teach my teachers a thing or two. Perhaps the section on muscle contraction is the best written of all - no other book I have ever seen comes close to this in clarity, and this section was one that I recommended to my Anatomy and Physiology teacher for clarification about a few concepts.

I am soon to be a sophomore in college, and this book continues to inspire me on my path to be a professor (I study chemistry with an emphasis on chemical biology). This book was invaluable even in a rigorous microbiology course, not to mention other introductory courses.

In summary, I rarely leave home for extended periods without this text (literally). If there is ONE BOOK that you should buy for studying cellular and molecular biology, let it be this one (or, if you are so inclined, its larger brother, Molecular Biology of the Cell).

Death of a Colonial by Bruce Alexander brings to life an interesting historical period. Sir John Fielding a blind magistrate in London helped to develop the Bow Street Runners, the first professional police organization in England . Sir John, the brother of Henry Fielding was a famed and gifted magistrate who compensated for his lack of sight by developing other skills. It is said that he never forgot a voice and could recognize a criminal by his voice alone.

Sixteen year old Jeremy Proctor assists Fielding in this pursuit of justice in Death of a Colonial. Fielding is commissioned to ascertain the validity of the claim of a fortune by Lawrence Paltrow the brother of an executed murderer, Arthur Paltrow. Arthur had been a wealthy man when he was executed and it was thought that there were no heirs to his estate. Together Jeremy and Fielding travel to Bath to meet the man's mother. It is at this point that the plot thickens. Jeremy and Fielding work together as a formidable team in discovering the conspirators.

Death of a colonial is rich in description of the feeling and times of England from Bath to London to Oxford. The reader is intrigued by Fieldings and Jeremy's journey through England and is ready to assist them in their search for criminals. The characters in the book are well developed and entertaining.

This is an entertaining book for those who love historical mysteries. Those who want fast paced action may wish to avoid this book

I have read each of the Sir John Fielding mystery books. I enjoy them all. I don't worry too much about subplots, but enjoy a mystery. This book allowed me to know to much too soon, but overall it is a good book. If you didn't like his earlier ones you won't like this one. If you have liked them, then you will enjoy this one.

I get a huge kick out of Bruce Alexander's mysteries involving a blind judge and his young sidekick. I've read a lot of history from that time period, and though Alexander doesn't overload the books with a lot of rather...well putrid facts concerning life at that time, he gives enough information to make a picture in the mind of a world very different from ours.

If readers have ever spent time in England, as I have, most know that the trip to Bath is a quick one for us. Yet Alexander brings up how grueling those trips were via stagecoach (or any type of coach). I think we forget how much we take for granted in being able to hop in a car and go somewhere in relative comfort and safety.

Alexander's best work are the characters he draws. I would be hesitant to accept a blind man as getting to a level in legal circles to wind up as a judge, except that I have an author-friend who wrote Silence of the Spheres about deaf people who managed to become scientists. Knowing that deafness was less acceptable then blindness, makes it more likely that the possibility exists for someone with visual impairments would make it.

Alexander's Sir Fielding is just a hair like Sherlock Holmes, only his blindness makes him more sensitive to sound and tactile sensations. This attribute helps him in his sleuthing endeavors...I totally understand this as blind friends have those same abilities, just as my vision and attention to visual details is more acute because I am deaf. This has been proven true for both blind and deaf persons in recent MRI scans by neuroscientists...so the author is not taking liberties with his character. His plots are less well developed, and as one reviewer said, the plots tends not to be the fast-paced one usually seen in modern mysteries. Time moved slower then, and the mores were different. So if you know your history, you should not expect the same type of behavior, language, etc. from people of that century as shown by those of this century.

Fun book (well...for a mystery)...
Karen Sadler
University of Pittsburgh

Plato's Republic is unquestionably the origin of philosophical lines of thought which are still undoubtedly relevant today. Written in dialogue form (i.e. like a discussion between many characters), the main exponent of the argument is Socrates, Plato's friend and mentor who was executed by the Athenian government - an event which led Plato to effectively denounce democracy as an impractical system. The Republic is the result of this denouncement: beginning with the philosophical question 'What is justice?', it proceeds to lay out the nature of the ideal state. Along the way, we are given Plato's legandary Theory of Forms, including the fantastically simple Simile of the Cave - a brilliant philosophical exposition of the difference between this world and the 'proper', 'real' world of which Earth is only a shadow. Desmond Lee's translation makes the very best of a particularly tricky task, and compromises on several key passages with effective authority. The main problem for the modern layman is in getting used to the Socratic form of argument in textual form - seeing Glaucon and Adeimantus answering with "Yes", "I agree" and "That's quite right" for 350-odd pages will drive anybody a little crazy after a while! That (very minor) nitpick aside, there are two excellent appendices regarding the philosophical passages in the text, plus a detailed bibliography for those who wish to follow up on the book. And it's worth it, believe you me.

Plato's Republic is unparalleled in its coverage of all areas of life. While Plato addresses metaphysical issues, he does so with language and analogies that most people can grasp with studious reading. But Plato talks about much more than metaphysics. Marriage, music, war, kings, procreation and more are all topics of discussion for Plato's dialog. In addition to the teachings about life, this book also offers a great introduction to philosophy. The famous "cave story" illustrates not only the purpose of philosophy, but also the inherent difficulties. While this book is absolutely necessary for students of philosophy and religion, I think there are golden truths for all people no matter what they do.

So, why this particular translation of the work? This translation offers the best ease in reading while mainting a tight grasp of the original Greek meanings of Plato's text. Besides, it isn't that expensive.

This book is clearly a timeless classic, and if you can't read classical Greek, this translation is probably the best you will get.

I've used this text for some time in my undergraduate courses, with great success. Waterfield's translation is accurate and scholarly, and the introduction and notes make this edition a perfect introduction to Plato's philosophy.

As for the value of the text itself, little needs to be said. Plato's Republic is one of the most important works in the history of philosophy, and every well-educated person ought to have read it at least once. There is some controversy among scholars over whether the work is primarily one of political philosophy or of moral psychology, but Plato perhaps did not draw these distinctions the way we do: one can certainly learn a great deal about both areas from reading this one work.

Really truly love or maybe I should have said loved this series. The adding of the charectar of Clarissa has turned me
off somewhat of the series. Why Alexander tinkered with what was a great series is a bit of a mystery to me in
itself. Maybe his editor felt like the series needed a Nancy Drew touch. It doesn't. Use to couldn't wait for the
next book in the series as they are so wonderfully written and would rate all the past books a five star. Oh, I will get the next book but not with the same excitement and anticipation as I had in the past.

...is quite cookie cutter. The solution is obvious from almost the beginning of the book and therefore, I almost rated this series entry only three stars. But, the writing is first-rate with the accuracy of the descriptions of 18th-century life. I do hope, however, that the next book in the series returns to the more complicated & sophisticated books that I have come to expect from Bruce Alexander.

I have read all the books in this series and I can say that EVERYONE of the books are fantastic. This is of course no exception.The author is able to transport you back in time to England. The characters are all well written and the story line is fresh and interesting. If you enjoy historical mysteries then this is the one series you cannot miss. I look forward to the next book in the series. I only have one worry and that the author will stop writing about Jeremy and Sir John.

Bruce Alexander kicks off his mystery series about 18th century London magistrate Sir John Fielding with this 1994 novel. A good start, never particularly challenging or profound, it reads like a television program. Narrated by orphan boy Jeremy Proctor who becomes sidekick and vicarious eyes for the blind Fielding as they puzzle out a murder. The structure is classic mystery genre, Alexander gives us just enough clues to figure it out a few dozen pages in advance, but keeps a few cards hidden in the form of conversations that young Proctor doesn't hear, and thus can't narrate. The denouement is the classic Agatha Christie gather-em-all-in-the-library and dissect the crime from start to finish. It's an easy read and a fun page-turner.

I stumbled on Bruce Alexander's series of novels concerning Sir John Fielding and his irrepressible assistant, young Jeremy Proctor, quite by accident one day as I was browsing Amazon with no clue what I wanted to read or buy. I just knew I was looking for something different and exciting, and I wanted a mystery. What I got, once I happened upon Alexander's first novel of the series, "Blind Justice", was a superior historical novel with a first-rate mystery and many-dimensional characters built in.

The plot summary of "Blind Justice" you can read here, so I won't go into it again, other than to say that young Jeremy travels to London following his father's tragic death to seek his way in the world as a printer. Mistaken for a thief and falsely accused, Jeremy is brought before Magistrate Sir John Fielding's Bow Street court, proves his innocence and is made a ward of the court by none other than Sir John himself, a character who actually existed (he was the brother of Henry Fielding - author of the famous novel "Tom Jones" - and the man responsible for the founding of the Bow Street Runners, London's very first police force.) Not long after this, the body of Lord Goodhope is found shot dead in a locked library, and thus begins a partnership that is both inspiring and highly entertaining.

I am now reading the fifth book in the series, "Jack, Knave and Fool", having finished "Blind Justice", "Murder In Grub Street", "Watery Grave" and "Person or Persons Unknown" one right behind the other. I can say with complete sincerity that each book brings a new and suspenseful plot combined with the author's superior eye for the details of the period. Mr. Alexander makes Georgian-era London as visible to the mind's eye as accurately as any photograph might have - the markets, the bawds on the street, the scamps and thieves and the high-and-low born people who pass through Sir John's court are most memorable and oftentimes quite humorous. The regular characters evolve well throughout the series and young Jeremy is a most reliable and mature narrator.

Start your trip through Georgian London with Sir John and Master Jeremy Proctor in "Blind Justice" and, once you do, you'll be picking up the second installment, "Murder In Grub Street", soon enough.

The first I heard of Bruce Alexander was in an amazon.com e-mail about new mysteries where it told of his coming "Smuggler's Moon." The title was intriguing so I checked out his books and read an exerpt of one and ordered "Blind Justice," the first of his Sir John Fielding mysteries. I'll be ordering more! "Blind Justice" arrived late Friday afternoon and I finished it around midnight on Saturday. Alexander's characters are wonderful. Sir John Fielding and Jeremy Proctor are perfect together as they search out clues and find the perpetrator of the crime. All of the side characters are intriguing. The setting is great: about 1768 London. You really get the feel of the time. I would guess it's similar to Sherlock Holmes, but I've never felt pulled to read Conan Doyle. This has it all: Covent Garden, the Bow Street Runners, local pubs, courts, thieves and murderers, servants 'below stairs,' Lords and Ladies. The smell, taste, and feel of the time. Greed, cruelty, compassion. Nothing sappy or sugary. It's strong. It moves swiftly. It's totally engrossing without resorting to gratuitous violence or sex. An absolutely fabulous read!

"Murder in Grub Street", the second installment in Bruce Alexander's "Bow Street Runners" series is more carefully crafted than the first book, but still has weaknesses. It is a period mystery set in 18th-century London. Blind magistrate Sir John Fielding and his young sidekick Jeremy, who narrates the story, solves a mass murder case in London's publishing district. It's a good tale, but some of the weaknesses of the first book are still here: Fielding does things no blind person -no matter how gifted- can do; young Jeremy speaks like an educated adult, and his occasional forays into childhood speech sound just like an adult-trying-to-write-like-a-child wrote them. The plot is carefully constructed but hinges on some artificial twists that must leave readers shaking their heads: Jeremy narrowly escapes from a building that blows down in the wind, not once but twice; a poor street urchin pops up conveniently every few pages to provide important clues. The most interesting thing about Alexander's mystery series is the local color and language of historical London. They're fun and easy to read, but as mystery novels go, these first two are strictly average.

This is the 2nd in the Sir John Fielding series. This book finds Sir John and Jeremy once again embroiled in another murder investigation. Once again the story is great as well as the cast of characters.The descriptions of the people and customs of that time make this one of the best historical mystery series around. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I would advise you reading the first novel in the series before(Blind Justice) you read this one. I continue to look fwd to the latest addition to this series.

This is a great third book. Navy captain drowns, who did it? Blind Fielding is da man.

The fourth installment in Bruce Alexander's murder mystery series about blind 18th-century London magistrate Sir John Fielding is another step up. The plot is built around a Jack the Ripper-style murders of a series of prostitutes. Alexander appears to have read liberally from Patricia Cornwell to Patrick O'Brien, for his stories introduce elements of early forensic criminology and O'Brien's careful historical pictures of English life. The stories are good, they are not great. They are fun and easy reads.

This is the 4th book in the Sir John series and upholds the outstanding writing and vivid details of daily life in England of the 1700's. I always look fwd to reading another episode in the adventures of Sir John Fielding and his young assistant Jeremy Proctor.The murder investigations they perform are well thought out and hold your interest. I can atribute many nights of reading until the early hours to this series. Keep them coming Mr.Alexander.

I enjoyed this fourth novel in Bruce Alexander's Sir John Fielding series a little more than any of the first three for one principal reason. The book appears to be good enough to stand on its own because there are apparently a large number of people who enjoyed it (and maybe some who DIDN'T enjoy it) without understanding what the author did.

But the reason why I enjoyed this book most of all is because I have an interest in the subject matter that this novel REALLY concerns. Because what Alexander did was to take a famous series of serial killings of prostitutes that actually took place in late 19th century London and transpose them into the year 1770, the year in which this novel takes place.

Can it be that so many readers failed to recognize that the details of the killings in this novel match so perfectly with the details of the murders that actually took place in Whitechapel in 1888? Just to make the contract a little more binding, the author also gives us a suspect nicknamed "Jack-the-carver".

"He'll carve you up, see?" Jimmie Bunkins says to his chum, the narrator and main character, Jeremy Proctor, explaining the nickname. "Is he what you would call a 'high ripper'?" Jeremy asks in reply, using the term that was then used to describe a knife-wielding criminal.

The usual cast of characters that Alexander's readers have grown fond of are here: the indomitable Sir John Fielding, his young assistant, Jeremy, Jimmie Bunkins, the reformed former sneak thief and street urchin, and Black Jack Bilbo, Bunkins's guardian and Jeremy's avuncular mentor. And I am happy to report the return of Ignatius Donnelly, the kindly Irish doctor who played a significant role in "Blind Justice", the first novel in the series before departing for Lancashire in fruitless pursuit of the lovely widow, Lady Goodhope.

In addition to that, Jeremy (who seems to have no shortage of worthy adult male role models) is also befriended by Constable Perkins, one of Sir John's "Beak Runners", who has developed his one arm and his fighting skills to such an extent that he can lick any man with two arms. His imparting of some of those skills to Jeremy plays a significant role in this novel.

Jeremy's character development remains of interest to those who have read this series in order. We know of Jeremy's intent to study the law with Sir John, but here we see, for the first time, a "flash-forward" twenty-seven years into the future where Jeremy has actually become a practicing solicitor. Partly consistent and partly inconsistent with that, we also see Jeremy pitting his own judgment against that of Sir John during a criminal investigation for the first time in this series.

And in the third novel, Watery Grave, at the age of 14, Jeremy learns the "facts of life" from Black Jack Bilbo. "Persons Unknown" takes place after Jeremy turns 15 and is feeling the yearnings of puberty. His interest in a female street acrobat- turned-prostitute is an interesting sub-plot.

There are weaknesses in this novel that a less tolerant reviewer might not so readily excuse. Jeremy's treacly personality is less tolerable at a time when he is entering puberty. Surely, even a well-spoken 15 year old lad in the year 1770 had thoughts and instincts and language considerably more coarse than those displayed here by Jeremy.

The fight scene that takes place between Jeremy (after he has received instruction from Constable Perkins) and a street thug is ridiculously one-sided. And Sir John's original plan to trap the murderer is utterly ridiculous and provides more comic relief than the author must have intended.

This reviewer's affection for the characters and for the setting in which they perform and his delight at seeing the Whitechapel mystery moved 118 years back in time into a fictitious setting override his objections, and 5 stars are awarded.