Functional Anatomy of the Vertebrates: An Evolutionary Perspective

This book is well-organized and clearly written, and includes some truly fascinating revelations about the vertebrates, especially relating to biomechanics. It is, however, really too encyclopedic for undergraduates to read cover to cover. As a supplement to a lecture course, I find it excellent; if the lecturer expects students to learn most of the material from the text alone, they are in for a difficult time. The main difficulty is that the most important material is not necessarily emphasized in the text, so that the instructor using this text must be clear about what main points students need. As a reference for further study after class, and to look up things not understood the first time, this book is great. As a primary teaching tool with no outline or emphasis to guide study, there is simply far too much information for a one-semester undergraduate course.