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Life Itself
Cell Biology International 2000, Vol. 24, No. 3, 194 doi:10.1006/cbir.1999.0473, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on
BOOK REVIEW Life Itself BOYCE RENSBERGER Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1999. Pp. 290. £9.99. ISBN: 019-512 5002. Boyce Rensberger’s book ‘Life Itself’ goes through the same set of topics in cell biology in the same order as will be found in Alberts, Lodish or any other of the main textbooks. It is not so much a run-through on a superficial scale as a more personal treatment of the various subject areas, written more for the intelligent layman than for the budding or mature biologist. Indeed, it may not particularly appeal in the journalistic way it is written to those who are already in the field, but the question is whether it does a good job of portraying the current state of the art of cell biology to the lay scientist or general public. In some respects, it is a readable book, which is full of analogies (many a little suspect, but what analogy is not?) that help the reader grasp the main issues. In most places, it provides a reasonably accurate picture, but at times and in certain places it has its lapses. It cannot be at the cutting edge of science otherwise the lay reader will find the situation confusing if the arguments for and against various hypotheses are too difficult. The chatty interviewee type of remarks throughout the book try to give the ideas more identity in relation to some of the afficionados involved, but to me this became a little irritating, especially as most of these are single remarks per chapter to some friend or other in some part of the States. I can scarcely believe that Jim Clegg, having poured water on 15-year-old brine shrimp eggs, said that ‘it
1065–6995/00/030194+01 $35.00/0
was really amazing’ to see the critters come to life again. Most subjects are treated adequately, a difficult line to choose between being too superficial and too deep. The lack of subheadings in the chapters makes the text a little turgid and a book which one feels obliged to take chapter by chapter. The diagrams are simple, rather old-fashioned, but just about adequate (most books nowadays make a lot more of their illustrations, so it was clearly a firm decision to keep them few and simple, although their ubiquitous water-colour-gray backgrounds look odd). But the text did not inspire me with great enthusiasm about life itself, and this is where it most needs to score; there are places where the received wisdom has not come through or is outdated. Chapter 10 on wound-healing and regeneration was rather too sketchily covered, and the start of Chapter 13 gets one off completely on the wrong foot. The signalling problem is one area that needs to be tightened up, and the current ideas more clearly expressed. There are difficulties in trying to cram the whole of cell biology—along with basic embryology and the inevitable chapters on aging and cancer—into one small book. While critical in many ways, I know that I myself probably could not have done as good a job as Boyce. For his sake, I hope the book sells well, for it will be the lay scientists and public who will ultimately decide whether it makes a good read, not a dyed-in-the-wool research cell biologist. The Glossary was a thoughtful addition. Denys Wheatley Cell Pathology, Aberdeen
2000 Academic Press
BOOK REVIEW Life Itself BOYCE RENSBERGER Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1999. Pp. 290. £9.99. ISBN: 019-512 5002. Boyce Rensberger’s book ‘Life Itself’ goes through the same set of topics in cell biology in the same order as will be found in Alberts, Lodish or any other of the main textbooks. It is not so much a run-through on a superficial scale as a more personal treatment of the various subject areas, written more for the intelligent layman than for the budding or mature biologist. Indeed, it may not particularly appeal in the journalistic way it is written to those who are already in the field, but the question is whether it does a good job of portraying the current state of the art of cell biology to the lay scientist or general public. In some respects, it is a readable book, which is full of analogies (many a little suspect, but what analogy is not?) that help the reader grasp the main issues. In most places, it provides a reasonably accurate picture, but at times and in certain places it has its lapses. It cannot be at the cutting edge of science otherwise the lay reader will find the situation confusing if the arguments for and against various hypotheses are too difficult. The chatty interviewee type of remarks throughout the book try to give the ideas more identity in relation to some of the afficionados involved, but to me this became a little irritating, especially as most of these are single remarks per chapter to some friend or other in some part of the States. I can scarcely believe that Jim Clegg, having poured water on 15-year-old brine shrimp eggs, said that ‘it
1065–6995/00/030194+01 $35.00/0
was really amazing’ to see the critters come to life again. Most subjects are treated adequately, a difficult line to choose between being too superficial and too deep. The lack of subheadings in the chapters makes the text a little turgid and a book which one feels obliged to take chapter by chapter. The diagrams are simple, rather old-fashioned, but just about adequate (most books nowadays make a lot more of their illustrations, so it was clearly a firm decision to keep them few and simple, although their ubiquitous water-colour-gray backgrounds look odd). But the text did not inspire me with great enthusiasm about life itself, and this is where it most needs to score; there are places where the received wisdom has not come through or is outdated. Chapter 10 on wound-healing and regeneration was rather too sketchily covered, and the start of Chapter 13 gets one off completely on the wrong foot. The signalling problem is one area that needs to be tightened up, and the current ideas more clearly expressed. There are difficulties in trying to cram the whole of cell biology—along with basic embryology and the inevitable chapters on aging and cancer—into one small book. While critical in many ways, I know that I myself probably could not have done as good a job as Boyce. For his sake, I hope the book sells well, for it will be the lay scientists and public who will ultimately decide whether it makes a good read, not a dyed-in-the-wool research cell biologist. The Glossary was a thoughtful addition. Denys Wheatley Cell Pathology, Aberdeen
2000 Academic Press