I think the service is wonderful. I got the book three days later after I ordered it online.

I'm halfway through a biochemistry course using this book.

I care about textbooks. Some really go the extra mile to make concepts accessible and memorable. Not this book.

Berg et al are the opposite of exciting. They fail to provide emphasis and perspective that would help concepts stick. Read Richard Feynman's Physics series to see what exciting teaching is all about. He understands what is amazing and what deserves special treatment, use of analogies, etc.

Berg et al use a very stodgy dry style, I think in an effort to avoid saying anything wrong, which is admirable. Feynman on the other hand is not afraid to make lively oversimplifications, and warns you he is, in order to get the basic concept across. Then he slowly develops the concept to a more sophisticated level, sometimes leaving the original model behind, but that's OK because you take an intuitive path similar to the original scientists discovering the concepts.

Berg et al on the other hand insist on a kind of "top-down" approach where often a subject is introduced with sentences thick with generalizations that make no sense (or only vague sense) until more specific examples or detail is developed later. A little top-down is ok if it is simple and gives you a roadmap. Berg et al do it heavy-handedly, often using terms which have not been defined, leaving you to thumb wildly through previous chapters wondering if you missed something.

Top-down explanations are very appealing to writers who already know the material thoroughly. A best-kept-secret of teaching though is that bottom-up explanations (start with building blocks and work up to complex concepts) is really how powerful learning takes place. It's how the concepts were developed in the first place; it's how we learned in kindergarten.

To be fair, my organic (and inorganic) chemistry background is weak, as perhaps with many biology students. Berg et al assume you know chemistry thoroughly, and that is understandable. But aside from that, the language and writing style is simply dense, dry, and requires you pay close attention to each word in the sentence so you don't misinterpret what is being said. Again, compare it to Feynman's writing. The concepts are not easy in his books, but you really feel caught up in his explanations.

Using Berg/Stryer is exhausting, not what I admire in a textbook. I encourage students to make frequent trips to the index, as quick visits to later chapters may very well help you understand an earlier chapter better (for instance tRNA mechanisms). Or just read it back to front, it might flow better that way.

I think often reviewers that give favorable reviews to books such as this already know the material so of course the sentences full of generalizations and undefined terms make perfect sense. However, the true value of a textbook is careful organization, defining of terms, making distinctions, building up of concepts out of simpler ideas, demystifying convoluted concepts, highlighting what is important, and clearly pointing out when simplified results of non-obvious concepts are employed (such as reaction rates, equilibrium constants). This book gets low grades for that kind of teaching.

The book does get high grades for excellent summaries at the ends of the chapters and additional references. The authors take their duties very seriously to present correct and accurate information. They are just not the most gifted writer/teachers to come along.

Great quality as advertised. I would have prefered to receive it a couple of days earlier but it was not late.

Great quality as advertised. I would have prefered to receive it a couple of days earlier but it was not late.

The product was better than I asked for! Perfect shape and great deal! Would definately do business with again!!

This book gives the reader an indepth view of Biochemistry. The pictures are helpful and the text is typical of a Biochem book.

Well it's a boring book but biochemistry isn't the most interesting thing to read on your free time. The book is in good condition and came quickly.

Well it's a boring book but biochemistry isn't the most interesting thing to read on your free time. The book is in good condition and came quickly.

Most people are probably buying this book because they are a college student and they have to, but compared to some other books, this one is clear and easy to read, so don't be too afraid of Biochemistry if you have this in you bag.

What is the difference between this edition and the 6th revised edition, and why is the latter so much cheaper?

What is the difference between this edition and the 6th revised edition, and why is the latter so much cheaper?

I am basing my review primarily on two things in this textbook: the organisation and the definitions.

A textbook MUST be approachable. Students will be covering intricate topics in a book of this sort, and in order to help them, the writer(s) must present the material logically, thematically and beautifully organised.

I'm afraid the writers did not do that here. Systems that should be covered before one proceeds further - information for which knowledge of other systems is presupposed - appear much earlier than they should, leaving the unfortunate student staring wild-eyed at the text, muttering, "What?" This is particularly noticable when explicating chemical pathways.

Definitions are ludicrously lacking. What indexing there is is incomplete and insufficient.

The book fails in its intended purpose, and that is why I simply cannot recommend it. May I suggest using Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews as a better organised textbook? It is quite a good coverage, although it does assume some biochemistry knowledge. I've heard that the Garrett Biochemistry textbook (just released in December 2006) is good for beginner students, so that may well be worth checking.

There are certainly alternatives to this poorly written textbook.

Disclaimer: I've only used the 4th edition, even after the newest edition came out, because that's what I happen to own. From what I understand, the later edition includes most, if not all, of the 4th edition, and a couple of new chapters. My graduate class called for the latest edition, but I got through the class using my good ol' 4th.

I used the 4th edition of this book both in college and grad school, and it's served me very well. It succinctly covers the basics of biochemistry, including enzyme kinetics, protein structure, metabolism, and biosynthesis. It also includes helpful chapters on common techniques and assays. Diagrams and illustrations help understand the material (and there are diagrams for everything), and the text includes practice questions to solidify knowledge. Clear organization makes the book easy to use, and the text is sometimes surprising with unexpected humor. There are also charts for quick reference on the inside back cover. Oh, and handy side notes that define new terms and provide quick facts.

The book also links each topic to human disease, which makes it great for comprehending biochemistry as a whole.

All of this is done in simple, straightforward language that is nonetheless pleasant to read. (Really, this text is not as boring as one might think from a textbook!)

This book has served me very well, and I still refer to it to refresh myself on pathways. While, like most textbooks, it's not THE most detailed text you could get, it provides an excellent overview and jumping-off point.

Disclaimer: I've only used the 4th edition, even after the newest edition came out, because that's what I happen to own. From what I understand, the later edition includes most, if not all, of the 4th edition, and a couple of new chapters. My graduate class called for the latest edition, but I got through the class using my good ol' 4th.

I used the 4th edition of this book both in college and grad school, and it's served me very well. It succinctly covers the basics of biochemistry, including enzyme kinetics, protein structure, metabolism, and biosynthesis. It also includes helpful chapters on common techniques and assays. Diagrams and illustrations help understand the material (and there are diagrams for everything), and the text includes practice questions to solidify knowledge. Clear organization makes the book easy to use, and the text is sometimes surprising with unexpected humor. There are also charts for quick reference on the inside back cover. Oh, and handy side notes that define new terms and provide quick facts.

The book also links each topic to human disease, which makes it great for comprehending biochemistry as a whole.

All of this is done in simple, straightforward language that is nonetheless pleasant to read. (Really, this text is not as boring as one might think from a textbook!)

This book has served me very well, and I still refer to it to refresh myself on pathways. While, like most textbooks, it's not THE most detailed text you could get, it provides an excellent overview and jumping-off point.

I am currently enrolled in an undergraduate biochemistry course and have been for about two months. So far (the first 15 chapters), I am very pleased with the textbook. Most explanations are clear, and the illustrations are usually helpful. Also, there are asides that link concepts to real world applications that are interesting. But, I wish the protein chapters included a more comprehensive coverage of motifs.

I had this textbook for Biochem 1 and 2 and I thought it was excellent. It went in-depth when it was needed. The authors choose to leave out some reactions (using multiple arrows) and I thought that was great because it wasn't really needed in most cases. Sometimes there were questions though on how to get to one structure from the last. Pictures were great and really helped to picture what was going on.

I had this textbook for Biochem 1 and 2 and I thought it was excellent. It went in-depth when it was needed. The authors choose to leave out some reactions (using multiple arrows) and I thought that was great because it wasn't really needed in most cases. Sometimes there were questions though on how to get to one structure from the last. Pictures were great and really helped to picture what was going on.

I really like this book. It does a great job of explaining the topics in detail, yet not too esoteric that one without a background in either biology or chemistry won't be able to understand. I have neither and I feel I am progressing along well.
The progression of the information content in the chapters makes sense.

I recommend this book.

I bought this book because I need it for my biochemistry class. The book itself isn't bad. It gave detail of how biological systems and chemical reaction affect each other.

The book came in new condition like the seller said. Overall a good buy.