Customer Reviews (1)

Breaking Barriers and Following a Rising Star
It was a common practice for Ace Books to saddle their novels with absolutely awful titles-- even when the novel was originally known under a much superior title. This was the case with _Time to Teleport_ and _The Genetic General_, both by Gordon R. Dickson (1960). The first novel appeared in _Science Fiction Stories_ under the title "No More Barriers" in 1955. The second was serialized in _Astounding_ as "Dorsai!" in 1959. _Time to Teleport_ is a passable but routine piece. _The Genetic General_, in spite of some minor flaws, is a real classic.

Let us start with _Time to Teleport_. The original magazine title had multiple meanings. The first meaning is the obvious one. Once the characters succeed in finding a way to master teleportation, there will be no physical barriers. But Dickson is concerned with efforts to remove other barriers as well. The novel is set in a future in which the barriers of nationalism have been removed. Political organization is now built around services-- Transportation, Communication, Undersea, Plastics, Atomics, Metals, and so on. This ridding of national barriers has-- so far-- kept the world at peace. Reason: You don't fight a service that you desperately need. Finally, the novel is concerned with the downfall of personal barriers between family, friends, and even political rivals.

The plot involves the speaker for Transportation who wants to Take Over, the speaker for Undersea who is abruptly (and somewhat selfishly) resigning, a band of medical technicians, an underground movement that wants to create a race of supermen, the head of security for the Undersea politician, and an unknown assassin. Most of the action takes place by or under the sea.

At least one contemporary reviewer (who shall remain nameless) dismissed this novel as a "miserable piece of hackwork." Well, it's not great. But it's not that bad either. It is reasonably well crafted and intelligent. I give it a three star rating.

_The Genetic General_ is part of Dickson's _Childe_ sequence of stories. Briefly, the stories are set against a background in which mankind has spread throughout the galaxy and has evolved into a number of "splinter cultures"-- the religious Friendlies, the scientific Newtonians, the philosophical Exotics, and the militaristic Dorsai.

The novel opens with the line, "The boy was odd." The boy is a young Dorsai named Donal Graeme. He knows that others think him odd, but he is not quite sure why. Yet the novel is essentially an account of his upward rise, partly from military genious and partly from some other characteristics that Donal himself considers of minor importance. At one point, when he shows some talents of the exotics, he shakes them off and insists: "I am a Dorsai." At the close of the novel, it is clear that he is still denying the existence of his full powers.

Dickson gets a lot of things right. The dynamics of a family at the table when Donal comes of age, the customs and rituals of the military, the way that people would talk in a political or military staff meeting, the battle scenes on alien planets or in deep space. These are all totally believeable, as is Donal's growth from boyhood to man.

The problem with the novel is Dickson's treatment of Anea, the heroine. For roughly nine-tenths of the novel, she persists in misunderstanding the hero and practically spits in his face every time that they meet-- a period of time covering a little over five years. Then in the last few pages of the novel, she has a change of heart and decides to marry him. In spite of some hugger-mugger about genetic programming, the change is not convincing.

Dickson implies that much of the misunderstanding has to do with the immaturity of Anea-- as indeed it does. But if I were in Anea's position-- a kind of indentured servant to a powerful and ruthless prince-- I can't say that much of Donal's behavior would inspire confidence in me. There is a faintly patronizing attitude toward women-- a sense that men are just so much more reasonable-- that weakens the novel.

Still and all, an excellent novel. There was another science fiction novel with military subject matter that was published in 1959-- Robert A. Heinlein's _Starship Troopers_. It won the Hugo for best science fiction novel of the year. For my money, _The Genetic General_ is the better novel. I give it a five star rating.

_Time to Teleport_ has an excellent cover by Ed Emshwiller. _The Genetic General_ has a rather horrendous cover in the style of Ed Valigursky. ... Read more

Product Description
Hardbound. Emphasising the principles of genetics most relevant to livestock improvement, this volume covers many aspects of genetics, from the principles laid down in 1865 by Gregor Mendel to the recent developments in genetic engineering.The authors have all made notable research contributions to the field of animal science.The clarity of presentation, the detailed explanations and the thorough discussions will give the reader an insight into the diverse areas which make up the science of genetics and an understanding of the facts and theory on which present-day animal breeding is built. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume brings together authoritative articles summarizing the current state of knowledge of the genetic organization of bacterial populations. Contributions include the evolution of E. coli populations, the roles of gene transfer and recombination, the distribution and evolution of plasmids and antibiotic resistance, population genetics of phase-variable systems, population dynamics and epidemiology of bacterial pathogens, and plasmid transfer in the natural environment. Similarities and differences with the population genetics of higher organisms are emphasized throughout, and the impact of bacterial studies on current evolutionary theories highlighted. The consequences of population structure in clinical practice, environmental situations and commercial exploitation of bacteria are also considered in this professional level book. ... Read more

Product Description
With the rise of genomics, the life sciences have entered a new era. This book provides a comprehensive history of mapping procedures as they were developed in classical genetics. ... Read more

Product Description
Institut fur Humangenetik und Anthropologie, Heidelberg, Germany. Third edition of an extensive textbook on the concepts and problems of human and medical genetics, for geneticists, biomedical researchers, physicians, and epidemiologists. Previous edition 1986. Emphasizes molecular concepts and techniques. ... Read more

Product Description
Illustrates, simplifies, and humor-coats the important principles of classical and modern genetics and their experimental bases, with amusing anecdotes about how the ancients tried to explain inheritance and sex determination.Amazon.com Review
Having trouble deciphering your genetic code? Do dominantgenes make you feel recessive? Let reigning nonfiction cartoonistLarry Gonick and microbiologist Mark Wheelis ease your way throughMendelian genetics, molecular biology, and the basics of geneticengineering. Gonick's drawings range from a moderately detailed lookat ribosomes in action to loony pictures of dancing scientists,talking peas, and opinionated fruit flies. Matthew Meselson,co-discoverer of the "one gene-one protein" principle, says, "it putstextbooks to shame"--and he's right. --Mary Ellen Curtin ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Helpful but could be better
I have tried to teach myself genetics via popular books like "For Dummies" and "Demystified" -- this one is very helpful but it still fails to be explicit enough for a rank beginner like me.But given the spectrum of books out there, this one is certainly worth a try and I don't regret buying it.

Good book for understanding what is what
Yes, there are recent advances in the field. But this book is devoted to understanding the subject.

My kids love this book
My boys, 8 and 9, just ate this book up. They read it, discussed it and read it again. They ask me questions I probably don't know just so they can explain it to me with what they've learned from this and the Physics book by the same author. If grade school age children can understand the information and get something from it then you know it has to be well explained and enough fun to keep even their short attention spans from cutting out. I'm ordering the chemistry book next. No such thing as too much knowledge.

Very helpful in understanding the basics (and then some!)
This was the first of the "Cartoon Guide" series texts that I published, and it was arguably the best.The authors do a wonderful job of explaining fairly complicated concepts and ideas, and do so in a relatively interesting (and humorous way).

If you're going back to school after working for a while, or are just beginning your bio / genetics / etc coursework, you should probably pick up a copy of this.I really can't say enough good things about it.

best jump-start on genetics
This must be one of the best books to get you started on genetics. I had zero knowledge of genetics and I had to learn the basics fast... I found this to be better than any textbook! Very clear overview of how the scientific inquiry and line-of-thought progressed over the years in the biology/genetics field. The book is also very fun to read --- a "must have" for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
The Handbook for Statistical Genetics is widely regarded as the reference work in the field. However, the field has developed considerably over the past three years. In particular the modeling of genetic networks has advanced considerably via the evolution of microarray analysis. As a consequence the 3rd edition of the handbook contains a much expanded section on Network Modeling, including 5 new chapters covering metabolic networks, graphical modeling and inference and simulation of pedigrees and genealogies. Other chapters new to the 3rd edition include Human Population Genetics, Genome-wide Association Studies, Family-based Association Studies, Pharmacogenetics, Epigenetics, Ethic and Insurance.
As with the second Edition, the Handbook includes a glossary of terms, acronyms and abbreviations, and features extensive cross-referencing between the chapters, tying the different areas together. With heavy use of up-to-date examples, real-life case studies and references to web-based resources, this continues to be must-have reference in a vital area of research.

Edited by the leading international authorities in the field.

David Balding - Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, Imperial College
An advisor for our Probability & Statistics series, Professor Balding is also a previous Wiley author, having written Weight-of-Evidence for Forensic DNA Profiles, as well as having edited the two previous editions of HSG. With over 20 years teaching experience, he’s also had dozens of articles published in numerous international journals.

Martin Bishop – Head of the Bioinformatics Division at the HGMP Resource Centre
As well as the first two editions of HSG, Dr Bishop has edited a number of introductory books on the application of informatics to molecular biology and genetics. He is the Associate Editor of the journal Bioinformatics and Managing Editor of Briefings in Bioinformatics.

Chris Cannings – Division of Genomic Medicine, University of Sheffield
With over 40 years teaching in the area, Professor Cannings has published over 100 papers and is on the editorial board of many related journals. Co-editor of the two previous editions of HSG, he also authored a book on this topic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good overview of topics on quantitative aspects of genetics
The book is a collection of chapters written by experts in their respective fields. It contains both basic topics of genetics like chromosome maps and protein analysis as well as recent developments in evolutionary genetics like coalescence and phylogenetics. The topics on genetic epidemiology like linkage and association cover the main ideas, but the mathematical subtlities are not adequately explained in some of the cases. Since the target audience of this book are statistical geneticists, it would have been more beneficial if more quantitative insights were given. The chapters by Bruce Weir, Nicholas Schork and Ranajit Chakraborty provide some interesting practical applications of statistical genetics. With lots of controversies going around, it is apt to include the chapter on the ethical issues regarding the use of statistics in genetics. ... Read more

Product Description
Honored by the Association of American Publishers as the Best Medical Book of 2004, Inborn Errors is the definitive work on genetically caused abnormalities of human development.Despite the explosion in genetic advances, the causes of two-thirds of all birth defects remain unknown.However, we are on the brink of a revolution in this area, and Inborn Errors is at the forefront.It is the first book to connect the disease-causing gene to its biochemical pathway and to the structural/functional disorder.Mutations of the gene, the clinical picture, genetic counseling and prognosis, and any known treatments are discussed.For medical geneticists, genetic counselors, pediatricians, and developmental biologists, the book is a unique and groundbreaking reference. ... Read more

Product Description
During the past decade, geneticists have cloned scores of Mendelian disease genes and constructed a rough draft of the entire human genome. The unprecedented insights into human disease and evolution offered by mapping, cloning, and sequencing will transform medicine and agriculture. This revolution depends vitally on the contributions of applied mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists.

Mathematical and Statistical Methods for Genetic Analysis is written to equip students in the mathematical sciences to understand and model the epidemiological and experimental data encountered in genetics research. Mathematical, statistical, and computational principles relevant to this task are developed hand in hand with applications to population genetics, gene mapping, risk prediction, testing of epidemiological hypotheses, molecular evolution, and DNA sequence analysis. Many specialized topics are covered that are currently accessible only in journal articles.

This second edition expands the original edition by over 100 pages and includes new material on DNA sequence analysis, diffusion processes, binding domain identification, Bayesian estimation of haplotype frequencies, case-control association studies, the gamete competition model, QTL mapping and factor analysis, the Lander-Green-Kruglyak algorithm of pedigree analysis, and codon and rate variation models in molecular phylogeny. Sprinkled throughout the chapters are many new problems.

Kenneth Lange is Professor of Biomathematics and Human Genetics at the UCLA School of Medicine. At various times during his career, he has held appointments at the University of New Hampshire, MIT, Harvard, and the University of Michigan. While at the University of Michigan, he was the Pharmacia & Upjohn Foundation Professor of Biostatistics. His research interests include human genetics, population modeling, biomedical imaging, computational statistics, and applied stochastic processes. Springer-Verlag published his book Numerical Analysis for Statisticians in 1999. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

great book where few texts of a statistical nature exist
This second edition updates the first with the many advances in the rapidly growing field of genetics. It provides a nice treatment of the mathematical and stochastic models that are useful in genetic studies.
It is a little disappointing that it does not go into the microarray technology that has become so important for experimentation in the last few years. Other recent books that cover statistical aspects of genetic research are Weir (1996) "Genetic Data Analysis II" Sinauer Associates (publisher) and Yang (2000) "Introduction to Statistical Methods in Modern Genetics" Gordon and Breach Science Publishers.

Read this book and you might learn something
This book is not for the novice dabbling in statistical genetics.This is a highly sophisticated, thought provoking book targeted to individuals with considerable mathematical ability and training. As such, this book is an invaluable tool for individuals hoping to make a real impact in the field of statistical genetics.I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods for pedigree data.

OK, but not for me
I'm interested in molecular genetics, this seems to be more about population genetics. There is some material, towards the back, about phylogeny. I can bash that a bit to make it match my needs, but it's still a bit of a stretch.

It seems to be a pretty good presentation of population genetics, the kind of genetics taught in high schools in the 70s. I can't comment on this book's merits, but I can warn the biochem types to spend their money elsewhere.

Mathematical Details of Genetics
This book has an excellent coverage on the mathematical subtlies of genetics. The complicated theories are complimented by numerous examples. The exercise at the end of each chapter has a collection of probing questions that tests the understanding of the topics covered in the respective chapter. However, there is no discussion on association studies and quantitative traits which are two of the most active areas of genetic epidemiology.Moreover, the coverage on linkage is not adequate.

Mathematical details about genetics
The book has an excellent coverage of the mathematical subtlities of genetics. Theories are illustrated through numerous examples and the exercises at the end of each chapter containprobing questions which would test the understanding of the topics covered in the respective chapters. However, there are no chapters devoted to quantitative traits and association analysis, which are currently active areas of research. The coverage of linkage is also not adequate. ... Read more

Product Description

An Introduction to Systems Bioengineering
Takes a Clear and Systematic Engineering Approach to Systems Biology

Focusing on genetic regulatory networks, Engineering Genetic Circuits presents the modeling, analysis, and design methods for systems biology. It discusses how to examine experimental data to learn about mathematical models, develop efficient abstraction and simulation methods to analyze these models, and use analytical methods to guide the design of new circuits.

After reviewing the basic molecular biology and biochemistry principles needed to understand genetic circuits, the book describes modern experimental techniques and methods for discovering genetic circuit models from the data generated by experiments. The next four chapters present state-of-the-art methods for analyzing these genetic circuit models. The final chapter explores how researchers are beginning to use analytical methods to design synthetic genetic circuits.

This text clearly shows how the success of systems biology depends on collaborations between engineers and biologists. From biomolecular observations to mathematical models to circuit design, it provides essential information on genetic circuits and engineering techniques that can be used to study biological systems.

Customer Reviews (1)

excellent resource for any systems biology course
"Prof Myers' book will be an excellent reference for any course in systems biology.... I find the many illustrations (worked out examples and ample number of figures) and exercises at the end of each chapter quite useful and important."-Baltazar Aguda, Ph.D., The Ohio State University ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

any reputable breeder should own and study this book.
Genetics of the dog


I breed quality toy poodles.

I believe any reputable breeder should own and study this book.

It is a starting place.You have to go beyond what is covered here.This will give you a good foundation in understanding the genetics of a dog.

I highly recommend this book for dog breeders of any breed, the author specializes in the German Sheppard, but this covers dogs in general.

GunnerMay, 2010

Very indepth
A highly complicated but essential book for the experienced & avid dog breeder. A wealth of knowledge in this one.

Truly useful in breeding, because it is readable.
This readable work gathers the research, theories and opinions of his predecessors and presents his own opinions as well, giving arguments on both sides. Sections on determination of coat color were especiallythoroughly done, relying heavily on Little's work, though differing sharplyon a couple of points. ... Read more

Product Description

The lastest edition of this classic text continues to provide the basis for understanding the genetic principles behind quantitative differences in phenotypes and how they apply to animal and plant improvement and evolution. It extends these concepts to the segregation of genes that cause genetic variation in quantitative traits. Key techniques and methods are also covered.

Customer Reviews (5)

still the definitive word on the subject
I have been working in this field for more than 30 years. Even after all of this time, if I want to remind myself about how to explain an important concept, I go back to Falconer. By the time I completed my PhD, my fellow grad students and I agreed that "if you understand Falconer, you understand Quantitative Genetics". Even after all of these years, I still find this to be true.

A book that you must have
Basic concepts of population genetics and quantitative analysis, the authors show you how the concepts are created and connected, very good examples and exercises.

The genetics bible
Its almost useless to write a review for this book. If you're in genetics, then you know this book's reputation to be of the very highest order. It is THE introduction into quantitative genetics. I have it on my desk and use it as a reference constantly when trying to figure out evolutionary genetics and/or quantitative genetics papers.

Quantitative fish
This is an excellent book, that content the basic of the quantitative genetic and provide a comprehensive interpretation of the genetic action and interaction. Its price give the possibility the student having his owncopy to introduce to a simple and deep view of the quantitative genetic.

falconer review
this is a very valuable book of its kind,good for graduate&postgraduate students as well as researchers ... Read more

Product Description

Human Molecular Genetics is an established and class-proven textbook for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students which provides an authoritative and integrated approach to the molecular aspects of human genetics. While maintaining the hallmark features of previous editions, the Fourth Edition has been completely updated. It includes new Key Concepts at the beginning of each chapter and annotated further reading at the conclusion of each chapter, to help readers navigate the wealth of information in this subject.

The text has been restructured so genomic technologies are integrated throughout, and next generation sequencing is included. Genetic testing, screening, approaches to therapy, personalized medicine, and disease models have been brought together in one section. Coverage of cell biology including stem cells and cell therapy, studying gene function and structure, comparative genomics, model organisms, noncoding RNAs and their functions, and epigenetics have all been expanded.

Customer Reviews (19)

human molecular genetics book
I already knew this book since my human genetics exam at the University. I used to study on the 2nd edition. I did not like it very much because it was a bit confusing with a lot of info spread in the various chapters of the book. You could not study on it without an help of the teacher..
This edition is much better!! Clearer and better organized !!!
I am studying now on it and I found it really pleasant..

Really a good deal and worth it for the price.

Human molecular genetics
Excellent product. Great book for students in the field of human biology and asociated areas.Not an introductory book, but still good..

excellent for a broad review
HMG3 is a great book for those looking to review the large and growing field of human molecular genetics. It lacks the molecular biological detail that dedicated textbooks such as MBOC contain, but has a large amount of useful information regarding experimental approaches in human molecular genetics, and clinical ramifications of basic science research. I have found it an ideal core reference for graduate work in human genetics.

I did not get it at all yet!
I have ordered this product and after one month we didnot get and it seems gone astray in the mail. So am now still wait for replacament which will take another 2 weeks to arrive hopefuly. It is really disappinting experience hwne things goes wrong!

Nice illustrations
This book is a pretty good read for thoes with advanced genetics knowledge. It reviews some of the more basic processes in the beginning before diving into the human stuff. As a warning though, it doesnt really hide anything like a beginning bio book so know what your getting yoruself into. ... Read more