I am now speaking to you as an anatomist and as a professor of human gross anatomy -- Student Beware. This is not the book that you think it is.

Look carefully. Gray's Anatomy currently comes in two english editions. The British Version (now in its 39th edition) retails for about... The American Version (now in its 30th edition) retails for about ... If the edition you are looking at costs considerably less than those prices ASK YOURSELF WHY!. You are probably considering the "classic collectors edition" which is a reprint of the 1901 American Edition. There is nothing wrong with that edition, if you are interested in the history of science. However, much of the terminology has changed and in 100 years we have developed a much deeper understanding of human anatomy.

Know what you are buying. If you are a serious student of anatomy, you probably do not want this to be your first (or only) edition of Gray's Anatomy.

I am a student and an emergency medical professional... The amount of information contained in this book is impressive and it is small enough to carry in a briefcase for reference. The text is clear and comprehensive. It has a through rundown of all the human systems and extremely detailed breakdowns of the human anatomy itself. Two things I'm not so impressed with, however - which are very important - are: 1. Illustrations are bountiful...but are in black and white and it is VERY hard to differentiate between structures....and little lines that point to specific structures dissappear in the drawing, instead of quickly mapping things out. 2. There are VERY few full size/system illustrations....for example, there is not a picture of the entire anterior/posterior/lateral skull, abdominal cavity, chest cavity, or appendages for quick reference...instead, all the illustrations are piece by piece...one page has the mandible, one the eye bones...it is all broken down into little sections. I recommend buying a large, detailed A&P book and just using this as a reference.

This book is a classic and is comprehensive in scope. Each body part is fully covered with exacting illustrations and a full, but somewhat dry, description of the anatomy and function of that part. As a lay person, I sometimes have difficulty fully understanding medical and scientific terms in the text. Nonetheless, I know that what I want to look up will be fully illustrated and explained, probably in even more detail than I require.