Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry

Excellent book. Clear figures. However, this book has the same problem most medical texts have, namely that is is too long. As a review book I would expect something much shorter, but that's not exactly the fault of the authors since biochemistry is a pretty big field. But at the current length, I would recommend reading the book by Marks Marks and Smith since it's only a couple of pages longer and it has more useful information; i.e. it is a book you can use during your second year for pathophysiology courses. For a review I would recommend the new text Rapid Review Boichemistry simply because it is short and to the point, with only high yield information, and a CD full of questions. However, Lippponcott's is still a very good book and can probably be used as your only resource for biochemistry in medical school if your school follows a standard medical biochemistry format versus a clinically oriented biochemistry class, which requires supplementing with other texts or lecture notes.

I bought Lippincott's Illustrated Biochem Review, 3rd. edition (along with Harper's Illust. Biochem, 26th ed.), and used it throughout my first year med school biochem course. The text throughout Lippincott is clear, concise, and consistent [as opposed to Harper's, which is somewhat inconsistent in explaining the material, depending on which author or authors (out of a pool of several), is responsible for which topic or chapter]. Topics in each chapter in Lippincott are broken down in easy to digest sub-topics; important concepts stand out and crucial information is readily identifiable. In addition, Lippincott has wonderfully full-coloured illustrations that are professionally drawn, easy to understand, get to the point, and are visually interesting. My instructor recommends Harper's for his course because he says that it is more detailed than Lippincott, but almost everything that he covers in class is contained in Lippincott (except for a few minor details - no single book is going to contain everything, anyways)! Even though Lippincott is classified as a review, I highly recommend it as your primary source for your 1st year medical biochem course. I really can't say enough good things about this book - it's simply one of the best review books I have ever read (I suggest buying a used copy of Harper's, but for reference only).

This book is amazing. I took biochemistry in college and again my first year of medical school. I decided to use Lippincott to study for the biochem final. I really wish that I had picked it up sooner. I have a much better concept of how many of the systems work! It does an excellent job of differentiating confusing concepts while demonstrating how they are related.Lippincott does an excellent job of explaining everything in a clear and organized manner. Perhaps more importantly, it ties together important integrated concepts, and will give references to from one section of the book to another for enzymes/coenzymes/reaction species/vitamins that are essential to various reactions--so that you can make the connection for how each thing works in different systems. I highly recommend this not just as a review book, but as a book to use concurrently with your course.Of course, I should warn that the book has not been revised since 1994, and since biochemistry is a quickly changing field, there are definitely some inaccuracies or important omissions. But for a standardized exam (like the National Board Biochemistry Shelf Exam) it is wonderful.This book is too detailed for use in studying for Step 1 of the Boards. Learn as much as you can the first time around during your biochemistry course, then study with First Aid.

Whenever I take a class, because I am Deaf and get different amounts of information from the classes/professors/interpreters...I always buy more books than the recommended textbook or the required one. Usually I spend as much time as needed going through all the books to see which will prove the most helpful to me. This book really helped me through several classes and has continued to be a great reference source for me. The graphics were great...only complaint is that they aren't in color. But they still provided me with plenty of information that sometimes the professors neglected in class, but turned up on tests. Again, this is an excellent book and resource. I've lent it out to some and others have bought it on my say so. I also use it in science education. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

This review manual serves as an excellent companion to any biochemistry textbook. The simplification of topics such as enzyme kinetics, cholesterol metabolism, and glycogenolysis make it worth the money.