The Machinery of Life

Reading this book has been a great experience. The frequent detailed and annotated drawings that span the whole page and often even two pages are very intricate and mesmerizing. The replication cycle of a virus in a human cell stretches over two adjacent pages and is explaned in a very comprensible manner in the extensive notes below. A journey through a part of the enormous human cell following the assemby of antibodies spans several pages of large colorful drawings with interesting annotation that are sometimes a little overwhelming. The illustrations of E. coli (as the one shown on the cover) is simply beautiful and intriguing. Throughout the book the drawings are kept in consistent scale which makes it very easy to compare proteins and biochemical machines. The text starts with a clear introduction to the main components of any cellular machine. The introduction serves well to prepare even readers just starting out in cellular biology to appreciate the explanations that follow on. The book never felt like a lecture even though often more than just purely descriptive information was provided. With the book covering many different types of cellular machines both in microbes and human cells, and exposing mechanisms related to all kinds of interaction with these machines, it serves as a very lively and motivating introduction that luckily doesn't stop at the surface. Sometimes I would have preferred to be given a little more information on how exactly this or that protein performs certain tasks. However, considering the complexity of many of the processes shown, this is not actually a bad thing. This book has sparked my interest to read up on some of the presented processes, e.g. protein folding, structure and function. Having read this book -- and often simply looked at the illustrations therein for minutes -- I know that learning more about this fascinating hidden world can be very enjoyable and is absolutely worth the time (and money) spent.

I rarely review but this book deserves it. It bought it for the pictures(after reading an article in the New Yorker) and was even more amazed by the text. This author clearly has a deep understanding of his subject. I majored in Biology in college and became a physician but part of me always wished I had become a molecular biologist. This book was the first time diving deep into the subject again. To give you an example of why this book is so amazing. Ever wonder how the yearly influenza virus starts? I thought I did. In one paragraph he was able to summarize how this happens in a very satisfying way. Also, you will understand why some vaccines are good after one shot and others need yearly shots. You've heard of ATP as our cellular energy source? This book shows a detailed picture and the text explains how these enzymes are actually turning a molecular axle to produce the ATP molecule. I used to be able to write out the steps and did well on the tests BUT NEVER ACTUALLY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON at a gut level. Incredible. This is a book I'll read over and over.

This was a book used for a First Year Seminar class at Wake Forest University. At first I was skeptical about having it as our textbook and the ability for us to be able to understand and learn from it but I was quickly proven wrong. It is very easy to read and the info it provides about the cells molecular machines in our body as well in other organisms is precise and straight to the point. This made it perfect for the class and it seemed like everyone enjoyed it. When I sat down to read it, it went by pretty fast. The coolest thing about this book was the pictures. The animated and colorful pictures really add to the experience and really show you what the machines look like while adding depth to the book. Overall, this was a really great book that I would recommend to anyone interested in learning about the how the machines deep within the cell work. Cmurphy WFU

As an introductory text on microbiology, I can't imagine one that would be better than Machinery of Life, especially for those who can benefit from many images to supplement their learning. It's quite the benefit that the images here are as real to life as they can be at their scale! I always wondered the exact ratio between an atom and parts of a cell, and the illustrations here make it clear just how remarkable it is that life exists at all with such finely designed particles working in unison. At times the text got ahead of itself and used too many undefined technical terms, but overall I can forgive the book considering how much it does right. And the images! They are worth it alone.

David Goodsell's Machinery of Life, is by far the best introduction to molecular Biology that I have ever come across. This book approaches the daunting and at times intimidating subject of molecular biology with simplicity and eloquence. Life inside a cell is so small and hectic that most of the time it is near impossible to fully comprehend what is occurring, but Goodsell's use of images make cellular life much easier to understand. As reviewers have mentioned above the illustrations in this book are what makes it a truly magical read. The illustrations are so powerful and engaging that they help the reader take knowledge of cell and transform it into a true overall understanding of the happenings within a cell. Whether it be simple pictures of protein folding, or a more involved look at the way in which DNA winds itself within the cell, it is clear that after seeing the pictures ones understanding is significantly enhanced. In addition, Goodsell uses very simple writing in his descriptions, and provides many examples. Because of this he does a truly great job in not losing the reader in a topic which can become very dense and difficult to grasp. In all, this book is really great, if you want to know about molecular biology or just know more about it this book is for you.

Amazing illustrations and insightful descriptions.

I learned more from this little slim book then I have from chapters and chapters and chapters of cell bio books. The author has fabulous computer-generated space-filling models that really make it clear how the cell works. The illustrations are the best part of the book, but the writing is also very good. It's full of common-sense, molecular biology thinking, and really gives you INTUITIVE insight into what is really a very complex topic. I do wish the text didn't look like it had been generated from a bad Unix manual. A little decent typography would have helped the readability and approachability to be better. That said, it's a minor complaint. Buy this book. Excellent.

I was in school back when all students knew about DNA was four chemicals and what we knew about an archetypal cell could be drawn on a single sheet of homework paper. This book is bringing me into the twenty-first century with ease. It is extremely clearly written although it deals with unbelievably complicated goings-on at the molecular/cell level. Every page seems to contain an "aha so that's how it works" or "aha then it really boils down to ..." moment. I'm having a ball with it. I bought it for my daughter, who works in a genetics lab, and after glancing through it I bought another copy for us parents. I'll probably buy another for my programmer cubical-mate where I work. The illustrations get the most attention but, truthfully, they just serve as quick illustrations of what the text is saying in detail. Probably some readers can "read" the illustrations but IMHO it isn't necessary to examine them. It has been a long time since I've bought multiple copies of a book, let alone a science book, and I really feel this one is a bargain at ten times the price for people who want to educate themselves.

一つ一つの手書きの絵は素晴らしい。きれいな生命分子の絵である。

Só esperava que tivesse mais imagens/desenhos.

Beauty and wisdom are the book's characteristics. Beauty certainly concerns the book's two types of illustration both in full color: watercolor paintings which magnify a small portion of a living cell by one million times, showing the arrangement of molecules inside, and computer-generated images, which show the atomic details of individual molecules, also at a few consistent scales to allow easy comparison. The color aims at highlighting the functional features of the molecules and cellular environments. Apart from the intimate link between text and illustrations, the wisdom of the text is exhibited in several of its attributes: The text is lucid and lean but with essential information gleaned in it. The text follows a logical and natural sequence: it first explains that all life on Earth is composed of cells, which are themselves composed of molecules; the interior of the cell is filled with molecular machines such as nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides and the way in which they operate; then it explains how they are combined in a living cell; the description of a single cell organism follows; similarly followed by the description of human cell and the advantage of compartments. The final two chapters relate to the threat posed to life by viruses and bacteria and the defense of organisms by the immune system and antibiotics. The book should serve as a model of exposition, clarity, and economy.

Great book! Interesting with lovely and informative pictures.

Muy buen libro, claro y muy buena calidad.