Raven Biology of Plants

I am a curious, recently retired electrical engineer that got interested in flowers/plants/botany and bought this book for self-study. I picked this book because our State University uses it in their undergraduate botany program. I've been reading for several months now - there is a lot to digest, but it's all here and all well explained. I was most interested in the later chapters (like flowers in Chapter 25), but got so enthralled with the early chapters (cells) I decided to read the book straight through. Be warned, there is a *lot* here. Here's some of the things that (to me) make this book so good: (1) organization - starts with molecules, then cells, then cell structures, plants, many types of plants, on up to ecosystems. You can jump ahead if you're not interested in a particular section and not feel lost. (2) writing style is clear and easy to absorb. (3) Puts things in perspective. For example, the early chapters give examples of how bacteria and mammalian cells work differently than plant cells. There are explanations of the varied types of cells and how they work differently from each other. Also covered are the many types of plants and how different types of plants work differently. (4) Excellent summaries at the end of each chapter. (5) This book is ***packed*** with large drawings and photographs (color/visible light and electron microscope) - probably over 1100 drawings and photographs in the 727 page main body . The drawings are excellent. Further, drawings are well annotated, with good descriptions below, (6) While reading through the text there seem to be lots of references both forward and backward in the book, which helps tie things together, (7) the large format - the 9.5 x 11" format allows pictures/drawings and text to be near each other so you can easily jump back and forth while reading. Further, the drawings and pictures are large enough to see the details.Raven's Biology of Plants is leaving me with a sense of awe like one might get from a David Attenborough documentary.Negatives? I don't like the cover. I'm not a fan of Van Gogh, nor does this painting reflect the immensity, diversity, and awe of the information in the book. Given the excellent drawings and pictures throughout the book, I'd have the photographer(s) or graphic artist(s) that contributed to the book create a custom cover. For example, a plant, a leaf from the plant, a cell from the leaf, some organelles from the cell, and some molecules from an organelle. Maybe throw in a flower for some added color :-).One thing I have learned about plants (before I bought this book) is that the vocabulary is huge. Over 2,000 terms are used just in plant ID (a related topic I'm studying). Get in to biology of plants and there are hundreds more terms - the 26-page glossary at the end of Biology of Plants has about 1300 terms (rough guess). I haven't felt lost yet, as Biology of Plants explains each term clearly and I'm taking my time.

A wonderful book for learning basics of Plant physiology and molecular biology!

Honestly, one of the best botany books out there. Lots of technical information but easy to read and a great supplement to any intro botany class, and I'm sure it will be helpful in future classes as well. Even though it's pricey, it's a solid investment.

Raven, by all accounts from many sources, is THE base setting textbook for botany. However this latest edition, which passes the $250.00 mark at the school books store, and still $140.00 here on Amazon, was published without the latest updates that prompted the new edition! Chapters 31 and 32 must be sought out, as PDF files, either from your professor, or the publisher itself. Why require the latest edition of a textbook when that edition does not include the latest updates at publication? Just another show of how publishers of textbooks rip off students and professors alike!

I bought this one because it was cheaper than the US edition. The content is the same, and most chapters correlate to the US chapters, but there are some differences in page numbers (referenced in my university's lab manual). But all information is the same. If you don't mind having to hunt a little bit for info (I just referenced the index to find what I needed), this is a much cheaper alternative to the US edition.EDIT: I tried to do an Amazon Trade-in on this book, and it has been rejected twice because "it is an International/Teachers Edition". This seems ridiculous that I can't trade in an international edition of a book, when Amazon puts the trade-in option on the international edition listing.

Well made and arrived in good shape. Useful for class.

Love this book. This book make Botany much easier to understand. Very useful pictures and descriptions. Used this book as a companion book to my Botany class and got a A. Highly recommend this book for anyone taking Botany or just wanting to understand the subject it better.

This is a required text for my botany class. Wish there were more labeled pictures. And some information is out of date. I would read this in conjunction with other text to get a complete understanding of some subjects.

Masterpiece of clear scientific writing.

El libro llegó con humedad, el pegamento está saliendose, pero el envió fue rápido y en todo lo demás estuvo bien.

This is an absolutely exquisite book - full of detailed explanations of plant biology including genetics, biochemical processes & cycles, tissue types and functions - the content is very rich, informative and written in an easy to understand manner that is a real pleasure to read. This book is full of superb micro-graphs both from light-microscopy and EM (&SEM) imaging. This review is brief because I've only had this book a few days but boy - this is a real treat to own and read. A very, very nice and of course useful book indeed - worth every penny. Delivered in a couple of days too (from Amazon). I love this book - don't hesitate. To enjoy this book you do not need to be a graduate science student - this book is easily accessible to anyone (such as myself) that understand the basics of biology & chemistry that would be acquired at sixth-form college level or by a little reading. As long as you understand the (very) basic concepts of chemistry, what a molecule or atom is and have a desire to learn more about the real details of 'what plants do and how they do it' you will greatly enjoy this book! If you're a student - buy this now!

A treasure for all those interested in biology. Great illustrations and easy-reading text make it accessible for all publics from secondary school to confirmed researchers.

Jede Biologe other Naturwissenschaft Studierend sollte es haben! The Grund Pflanzenbiologie, the wichtiger Information über Pflanzenevolution, alles drin!Ich finde es das Beste Buch Pflanzenbiologie von allen!