Biological Science, Second Edition

I'm just through reading the first half of Vol. 1, but I am so far impressed with its thoroughness and clarity. When I looked at other biology text books for self-study, many seemed padded with extraneous material and gimmicks. Worse, these texts talked down to the reader. "Biological Sciences" is not chatty in a forced attempt to be 'relevant' but instead makes demands on the reader without being willfully obscure. Even better, the pages are not full of fashionable white space, but packed with text. The only caveat I have is that since 1996, surely many developments have cropped up since this last edition. But for basics, this is top notch.

This book is a treasure. I used it several years ago as a sophomore in high school to prepare for the AP Examination in Biology. Wonderfully illustrated, exceptionally written, and very easy to use! I got a "5" on the exam, which is the highest score attainable... I think that speaks for itself!