Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life

This text is a great way to learn a complex subject. It's expensive but the on-line links provide good value. There's tests and study helps and the animations and explanations of the diagrams make learning so much more pleasant than the last time I did Biology 40 years ago. My fellow students agree this text has made the work easier to absorb. It goes into much more detail than first year university students need but it provides us with good basics for future study. Highly recommended.

I used this book for my introduction to Biology class my freshman year of college. Cecie Starr has a good way to explaining to me certain concepts by using current research that is easy to understand, and connects to the chapter. She uses examples and images illustrating the concept that I thought were helpful, and I was surprised by how up-to-date the book really was (the most recent thing I've seen is the SARS virus), and was even more fascinated for it. Also, Starr makes a point in redefining terms, or telling in what section the term is defined, so that the reading is more understandable. I honestly enjoyed this book over every other boring biology book I've had in the past. She uses great examples and explanations that helped me to learn. I always need something to attach the information to, and this book worked well in doing that for me. As for the online material, I used it very infrequently, so I guess I can't really comment on it well. The CD with the book uses videos, quizzes, flashcards, and links to helpful websites. It's helped when I've used it, but I haven't found much reason to since I understood the book well. However, if you are someone who needs exercises and flashcards, and to see outlines of the chapters, this online material and the CD should help.

This was my text in my undergraduate biology classes. It is filled with a lot of information and can be intense at times. However, I must say is very complete. Topics such as ecology, evolution, animal structure and function were particularly interesting. I also used more than one source to study from. Patrick Leonardi's "The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations (Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3) were right on the mark for great test preparation questions. They were just awesome and so helpful for helping me really get a hold on what is important to study for in biology. Cecie Starr's Biology: Concepts and Applications helped me to first learn biology. Patrick Leonardi's study guides showed me what kind of questions to get ready for on my bio I and II exams. These books helped me to pass biology with very good grades. I thank both these authors for writing these books.

The Unity and Diversity of Life, 8th edition, is one of the best Biology books I've ever set eyes on. Although there are many other books that have more information about Biology, this is a great book for those students who want to learn the prerequisites to advanced General Biology before or during college. The one aspect of this book that fascinated me more than any other was its improvement over the previous editions on teaching the material. The innovations of one to two page topics, easy to read helpful graphics, CD-ROM quizes, and more all raised the bar of how to teach effectively a Biology class. I would basically recommend this book to just about anyone in conjuction to one's advanced placement or college level book to help them get a better understanding of "what's going on here?" Buy this book and have fun as I always do in my joyful readings of this most excellent and invigorating book!

The 8th edition of Cecie Starr and Ralph Taggart's BIOLOGY: THE UNITY AND DIVERSITY OF LIFE is a significant improvement over the already excellent 7th edition. It is a substantial reference made "user friendly" with its excellent graphic designs, well organized and readable text, and extensive electronic support...I found the tutorial quizzes and chapter summaries especially useful. The online support and CD-ROM are effective new study tools! I recommend this book to all students taking a course in introductory college biology, as well as biology instructors looking for a well supported book that actively engages their students.