The Cartoon Guide to Genetics

I am a biomedical science student who just happened to never take any sort of molecular biology or genetics as an undergraduate, so I basically managed to limp through my advanced courses in said subjects. I wish I had a little resource like this, since it was presented in a quick, easy-to-read, and humorous manner. The concepts were essentially all basics that I do understand, by now; however, it was still valuable to receive a general sense of how the concepts evolved. The Cartoon Guide to Genetics plays out like a storybook of history, outlining how we came to understand certain molecular biological concepts. All in all, it took me about two hours of nonstop reading, if that (I was engaged so much I didn't even notice the time), and I feel I received a bit of edification in the realm of genetics, especially so far as homologous recombination goes! If I had this book when I was taking my advanced course, I feel I could have properly engaged the material, since it builds a decent little foundation. I was a little disappointed not to have any mention about more complicated aspects of inheritance like non-Mendelian genetics. It's small kibble, though. I feel if you are an undergraduate taking your basic biology courses, then this book can only help you out. It was a fun little read that presented its material in a non-threatening way.

Good general purpose book for classroom library. This is a great set of books in cartoon form. Easy to understand. Good condition. Arrived quickly.

This book literally changed my life. I was another electronics guy plugging away at chips in silicon valley. In a bookstore I picked this up and bought it for a laugh. A week later all the chit chat I had been hearing for a decade about DNA and proteins and genetics was making sense for the first time. DNA was digital! The whole mess of real-world biology is at its core logical and understandable. The complexity just comes from layers and layers of control, just like computers or phones. From there I started reading more layman's books, then taking classes and reading textbooks, and ultimately becomes a computational biologist. What is inspiring about the book is that it gets the history and concepts right without compromising on amusement and keeping the reader's interest. A decade later, I still enjoy dipping back into it. I wonder if this approach were taken to other subjects, would science be more approachable to kids in school?

This is the update edition of "The Cartoon Guide to Genetics" by Larry Gonick and Mark Wheelis. The original edition was published in 1983, and this First Collins edition was published in 2005. This is one of a series of Cartoon Guides which Larry Gonick has co-authored with scientists in the field of choice. Mark Wheelis is the senior lecturer in Microbiology at the University of California at Davis. The book opens with a pre-history of the field; discussing diverse subjects such as domestication of plants and animals, the biblical story of Jacob's Flock, spontaneous generation, selective breeding, and so on. They move on to give an excellent overview and history of the subject. Unlike the other Cartoon Guide's that I have read, this one lacks any chapters or sections. Perhaps they felt the subject was narrow enough that it was not necessary, but for readability it might have been better to have broken the book into chapters. This book serves well as an introduction, overview, review, and/or history of the subject. Of the guides that I have read, I would rank this book just a slight bit behind the Cartoon Guide to Physics, and better than the Computer and Statsitics guides.

By and large, I had really lousy science teachers in high school. In the case of both math and science, it is easy to become mired in the use of formulas, endless equations and memorization, and to lose sight of the big picture, and how facinating the subject matter can be. The cartoon guides in general cover a lot of material but keep things relatively simple, illustrate (literally) concepts with pictures and utilize a good deal of humor to hold your interest. This particular book has been quite enjoyable and funny at times. It is not always easy. It took me a while to feel I had a grasp of meiosis. But I think it is important that we keep our minds sharp, and it is always a pleasure to learn new things about how the world around us works. I don't know if I ever really understood what a pleasure learning could be until I finished college...

I just finished this book an hour ago and am ready to rave about it (and, more generally, its highly visual and accessible approach). More than any "popular" science book I've ever read, it quickly took me to an unprecedented comfort level with the material. Cellular biology is a three-dimensional domain where pure-text approaches fall short when trying to describe the spatial processes of cellular replication, DNA copying, etc. I think that this writing team has a talent for making information teachable, and that this book (along with the books of its kind in the series) is a great gift to the curious layperson. Thanks again to the authors - wow!

My wife works in Genetics and is constantly confusing me with all of the terminology. Bill Gates recommends the Cartoon Guide to Statistics and while looking at that I finally came across this and thought I'd give it a try. And I'm really glad that I did. The information is introduced relatively gradually, giving you enough time to figure out how things fit together, but it's so clearly explained that you move through the book in no time. You could probably read it in a day and come out knowing way more than you did at breakfast. I kind of blown away by how easily I've picked up so much information so quickly. Highly recommended.

Excellent book.

I got this one as a replacement for my childhood copy of this book that sadly has gone mouldy. I remember being fascinated by this book as a child, and poring over each page. I learned about Mendelian inheritance from this book, but at the time I wasn't ready to understand some of the more complicated discussion of gene structure and gene repression. Still, this book helped fuel an interest that dominated much of my teens. I hope to show it to my baby when she's older.

lo compre para comprender mas sobre genetica por mi trabajo y me ayudo bastante a comprenderlo sin perderme, con este libro aprenderas sin dudas.

Easy reading

Il libro è realizzato molto bene. Le vignette sono molto simpatiche ed illuminanti. La lingua utilizzata è l’inglese.