Customer Reviews (26)

Immunology, 5th Ed
Great book.If you are taking a course using this book, make an accronym note book right away.

Great book if you already know a little immunology
It is the second time around that I am reading Janis Kuby's Immunology. The first time was as a grad student and then I had to actually learn it all. Now as a scientist I am re-reading it to remind myself of forgotten wisdoms. I must admit that the second reading is much more fun. Firstly because I don't really have to remember all the particulars and secondly because the chronological order of the experiments gives great insight into the history of immunology as a discipline.
I realize that this is probably not what grad students are looking for, but I find it a very interesting (re)read.

Don't ignore the low ratings!
Before enrolling in my immunology class, I checked the reviews for the textbook (Kuby).The majority were favorable, so I ignored the few low ratings.Big mistake!
The reason for 2 stars instead of 1 is that the diagrams and figures are well done.The text, however, is rambling, disorganized, and sometimes even contradictory.The review questions at the end of the chapters sometimes ask things not in the text, and other times the answers provided at the back of the book contradict the information in the chapter.Which is correct?It is up to you to go hunt down that information, which is not an efficient use of your study time.
My other complaint is that the science is often presented as a history lesson, which adds unnecessary length to the text.While it is somewhat interesting to know when discoveries were made and how the theory has evolved over time, this is rarely the best way to learn a subject.
As a caveat, I have no experience with any other immunology textbook, so I do not know how this one would compare.

Difficult to follow due to poor organization, errors
This textbook is very unfriendly to anyone wishing to study Immunology, especially for the first time. Information is densely packed, out of order, and many paragraphs trail off into tangents that do not correspond to the title of the current page or section. Many errors and mistypes, which causedmy professor to provide a sheet of textbook corrections on the first day of class. Completing chapter questions very difficult due to the shortcomings of the text. If you are studying this book, be prepared to read into every little detail and still not understand basic concepts. I did very well in this class, but this book caused a lot of stress. Good luck!

Written in Baby Language
Pros: If you're a lazy student, you could get all the information very quickly by merely reading the figures and then reading the chapter summary.Also, the authors try to put an emphasis on describing experiments that led to the discovery of major concepts in immunology and also put in quite a few correlations to clinical pathophysiologies that result from inappropriate immune response.Since this information is simplified, you don't need to wade through all the details to get to the general point.
Cons: There are numerous and major grammatical and conceptual mistakes that would mix up a person who is not already familiar with the topic (example: on the schematic picture of the antibody, the heavy chain is labelled as the light chain, and the light chain is labelled as the heavy chain).This book is written at the middle school level; it is not appropriate for college level courses.It is very frustrating to read because every key point in a chapter is repeated at least five more times within the chapter itself and then once more whenever a related term comes up in a future chapter.It is a waste time to read this book cover to cover, as 60% of the time you will just be reading reiterations of previous points.Apart from this, concepts are so simplified that they described only in a vague and generalized sense, such that you only get the most superficial knowledge.If you focused, the contents of this book could be learned completely within 2 days.This book is probably worth about $25, but definitely not $85. ... Read more

Book Description
An exceptionally lucid guide to the latest immunology concepts! Through five best-selling editions, readers worldwide have appreciated this book's in-depth yet straightforward, richly illustrated approach to this complex subject. Now, sweeping updates incorporate the latest discoveries about innate immunity, the organization of lymphoid organs, and many other cutting-edge topics. Plus, online access via STUDENT CONSULT makes this an even more powerful learning resource! ... Read more

Book Description
This book extracts the most important information on immunology and presents it in a concise, uncluttered fashion to prepare students for USMLE. High-Yield(TM) means exactly that! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Do not buy this if you want to learn or review immunology
I bought this book as a review for USMLE step 1, and I started reading a friend's copy of levinson's review of medical microbiology and immunology. Not only is Levinson's the best resource for microbiology, but its immunology section is fantastic for both learning and review. I tried reading HY immunology afterwards and was only confused by it. It is poorly written and inconsistent, and not at all high yield--I wish I had not bought it. I guess there are some okay parts to HY immunology, but there are much better alternatives (Levinson's, How the Immune system works).

It is not always high yield.
I agree with one of the reader, the graphs have way too much details. They are not high yield at all. This book has some unnecessary details. For example, it has one big paragraph on different influenza vaccine strains from "advisory committtee on immunization practice, mmwr 2004:53 1-40." And it has select CD antigens on immune cells from CD1 all the way to CD 89 on two pages.

and some of the sentences are wordy and hard to understand, for example, on page 14, "monoclonal antibodies can also be constructed using the Fab domain from a murine antibody against a cancer-specific antigen with the mouse Fc domain removed and displaced by any number of different toxins." And the entire paragraph is one long sentence! Whoever taught the authors English obviously did not do a good job. So sometimes I have to read several times just understand them.

It does have some good information especially the last few chapters, but you can't possibly remember everything in the book, it has too many details.

I disagree with reader "apotosis", he rated 5 for the road map immunology, that book is worse than this book. That book has way too many information, if you want to get a phd on this subject that book is for you.

Save your money and time - don't buy it, don't read it!
This book is poorly written - because of long sentences, it's extremely difficult to read and understand; don't think that that's because it deals with difficult topics - content is extremely basic (in the worst meaning of this word) and many intricacies of this beautiful subject are completely ignored; many very high yield topics for USMLE step 1 aren't even mentioned; writing style is boring and inimaginative as well; this books is also poorly illustrated - immunology is a subject which is difficult to understand without pictures; at the same time, 'High-Yield Immunology' is extremely expensive for the number of pages and for the amount of information presented.
There are many much better reviews of immunology - try, for example, new 'USMLE Road Map: Immunology', by Parmley, with numerous well-done and useful illustrations - you'll be amazed how this author has managed to put all heavily board-tested immunology topics in just 224 pages (MCQs and index included - by the way, both these helpful features are missing in 'High-Yield Immunology'); what's more - all difficult topics are explained in a logical, clear, and uncluttered way - so different from 'High-Yield Immunology'! also, 'USMLE Road Map: Immunology' is even cheaper - by $2 - than good for nothing 'High-Yield Immunology'.
Otherwise, if you need more in-depth review, get Abbas' excellent 'Basic Immunology' - this little (336 pages) textbook is also packed with useful information and nice full-color illustrations, but it's much more expensive - $59.95.

Are you kidding me?
PLEASE look over some one else's copy of this book before you decide to buy it.It is INCREDIBLY nonsensical.The writing is extremely vague, and I would have to assume the only way to understand what the authors are getting at is to have already mastered the subject. It will frustrate you to no end trying to understand the pictures and seemingly arbitrary outline format. I realize I'm rambling a bit here, but this is by far the worst book I've read to prepare for theboards.The writing is simultaneously vague, incoherent, with hardly a logical progression of explanations.You'll see, look at a copy...check out chapter 8.You thought you knew this stuff?Haha, guess again. They manage to take all the easier principles, and muck it up beyond recognition.The photos/graphs/diagrams are all borrowed, so they never quite correlate with the text...you're just supposed to extrapolate the main idea somehow.This has been one painful read...I absolutely regret wasting money on this book.Can you tell I'm frustrated?Far and away, the worst read I've had yet.

Excelent
Great book. Well organized, compact, easy to read. If you've got no time to lose, this is your book! I read it and learnt it in one day! ... Read more

Book Description

Save hours of study time, build test taking confidence, and ace the USMLE Step 1 and course exams with most user-friendly, complete, and frequently updated review of medical microbiology and immunology available

Book Description
Case Studies in Immunology, Fifth Edition, cites major topicsof immunology as the background to a selection of real clinical cases that serve toreinforce and extend the basic science. This new edition vividly illustrates theimportance of an understanding of immunology in diagnosis and therapy. As well as being avaluable review aid, Case Studies in Immunology introduces in a clinicalsetting the major common disorders of immunity, including hypersensitivitytypes I-IV and autoimmune disorders such as lupus and multiple sclerosis. It also describes andexplains the consequences of some of the most important immunedeficiencies. Each case history is preceded by basic scientific factsessential to understanding the immunology behind the disease or disorder.An end-of-case summary, questions, and discussion points finish each case.Case Studies in Immunology can be used as a stand-alone book, or as a clinical companion alongside Immunobiology, Sixth Edition (ISBN0-8153-4101-6) and The Immune System, Second Edition (ISBN 0-8153-4093-1).

Key Features:

Contains FIVE new cases bringing the total number of cases included to 47:Hereditary Periodic Fever Syndromes;Interleukin Receptor-associatedKinase Deficiency; Common Variable Immunodeficiency; Immune Dysregulation,Polyendocrinopathy, Enteropathy, X-linked Disease; Celiac Disease.

Each case describes real events and symptoms from case histories, ensuringthat the reader is presented with, assesses, and evaluates a realisticclinical situation.

Full-color illustrations, photographs, and micrographs throughoutcomplement the text.

Contains helpful case summary notes in margin.

Cases end with a discussion and question section; this useful pedagogictool is designed to highlight lessons learned from individual cases.

Can be used as a clinical companion to Immunobiology, Sixth Edition, andThe Immune System, Second Edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

excellent companion to immunobiology
A great book for anyone interested in clinical immunology.When used in combination with Immunobiology, the concepts are clearly explained.The added bonus of the lab science behind the clinical work is wonderful.I would not recommend this book alone unless the reader has an extensive background in immunology and is interested strictly in clinical presentations of immunological defects in humans.

licensed physician specialist
The last reviewer's frustration is understandable given that this book is really meant for the medical student who has taken physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology in detail and has some clinical experience.It is most helpful for the senior medical student or resident taking an immunology elective--and even the immunologist studying for board exams!The reader must be already familiar with a lot of basic immunology in order to understand the figures without needing much explanation.I thought the book is excellent for synthesizing a very complex subject and adding clinical relevance.

Frustrated by the Stupid Book
Guys, this book is very poorly organized and the previous reviewer either is bribed by the authors or he doesn't know what he's talking about.This, by far, is the WORST textbook I've seen in my 5 years of college career.Look I am not bitter and I am a good student with a 3.9 GPA.

I will back up my reasons why this book is bad.The illustrations do not come with legends or labels.Readers are suppoed to guess what the white circle, black squares, green circles stand for.Plus the authors only give a very sketchy introduction to the diseases and they don't explains anything well enough for you to understand the questions.The answers to the discussion questions do not make sense and most of the time not relevant to the questions at all.

If your instructor is requiring you to purchase this text, he/she is doing you a MAJOR disservice... ask the instructor to reconsider the adoptation of any casebook, otherwise drop the course.

excallent!
it is really an excellent book with it's illustrations and the questions at the end of each case. ... Read more

Book Description
Immunology: A Short Course, Sixth Edition introduces all the critical topics of modern immunology in clear and succinct yet comprehensive fashion. The authors offer a uniquely balanced coverage of classical and contemporary approaches, basic and clinical aspects. As with the previous editions, the strength of the text is in a complete review of modern immunology without burdening the reader with excessive data or theoretical discussions. Each chapter is divided into short, self-contained units that address key topics illustrated by uniformly drawn, full-color illustrations, many brand new to this edition. The sixth edition of this successful textbook newly covers:

• Toll-like receptors, their ligands and intracellular activation pathways
• The key role of activation induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination.
• The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene in self-tolerance and autoimmunity
• T and B cell activation and the immunological synapse, as well as characterization and mechanisms of action of T regulatory cells  

"… an excellent beginner's guide… the authors have done a terrific job of providing an overview of the field." YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Ordering for second time
I love this book! I'm a 4th year medical student and I have 3 other texts on immunology and this is the one that I keep going back to. I loaned it to a friend and it burned in a fire so here I am ordering it again. The text is simple and to the point. The diagrams are suitable and I found them detailed enough. This is my bedtime reading book.

For MS-1s
This book is adequate.I cannot give it a much more glowing review than that.I must agree with some of the other reviewers in that it lacks good figures.The text is ok.I would definitely discourage anyone from buying this as a reference text.
I mainly bought the book because it has review questions at the end of each chapter that sometimes appear on our exams.
For med students I would definitely stick with the BRS Micro/immuno and augment it's succinctness with handwritten notes.

I would recommend this book to others
This version is better than prvious one. I like it.

Excellent!!! There is no other word for it.
This book is excellent as an introductory textbook of immunology.I teach 1st year medical students immunology and have very little curriculum time to do this.The 5th edition of Immunology: A Short Course covers all the essential material without making it needlessly cumbersome.I recommend it without reservation.

Horrible Book
This is one of the worst textbooks I've ever read.I bought this book for my M1 Immuno class and threw it away after a week.The explainations are poor at best and the pictures are pathetic. ... Read more

Book Description
The Updated 2nd Edition of this popular text emphasizes the fundamental concepts and principles of human immunology that students need to know, without overwhelming them with extraneous material. It leads the reader to a firm understanding of basic principles, using full-color illustrations; short, easy-to-read chapters; color tables that summarize key information clinical cases; and much moreall in a conveniently sized volume that's easy to carry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

a so so
I bought this book and read it for several times so far. the book is badly organized and very wordy. the illustrations are overdone. but the content seem right for med students.

Average buy
I bought this book as a required text for my med school immunology block. My firs time using the book. I like the images and captions. I also like the fact that key terms are not only defined at the back of the book but a quick summary of how these terms apply within the text is given. What I dislike about the book is the fact that topics are not well organized; they're scattered all over the book. I only used it for reference and for the cartoons/images.

Great text
This is an excellent immunology text that is recommended by a top 3 medical school.Many schools have this text and Janeway's text ranked equally and they use diagrams from both.

Great med school book
My required reading text for Immunology was the Goldsby Immunology. After exhausting myself digging through sentences like "Protein A, with seven subunits designated 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, with respective molecular weights of 43, 32, 75, 12, 65, 12, and 76, binds inside a 14-Angstrom cleft in Protein B, proved by Researchers Smith and Jones in 1986 using wing-dangled gel electrophoresis..." I switched to this text, which is more like "Protein A binds to Protein B."
This text would be inappropriate for a graduate student studying immunology, but for a medical student who just wants to do well on the test and Boards, this is fantastic. Although it is brief, it covers everything from First Aid in good detail, emphasizes clinically relevant material, and glosses over clinically irrelevant parts. The diagrams do a good job of summarizing the text and are easy to follow. Highly recommend. It didn't have a section on how immunology-based lab techniques are carried out, but then, I'd rather poke my eyes out than ever, ever have anything to do with running a Western blot.

Great book for med school
This is a required book for my first year of med school and had proved very informative for my specific class.I use it mostly as reference at this point but may prove to use it more in the future.

... Read more

Book Description
This book provides detailed and specific information on the theoretical concepts in immunology that are applicable to the laboratory sciences, underlying theories of procedures that are applicable to specific disorders, and selected disorders that are relevant to clinical laboratory science. The 3rd edition is a comprehensive, readable, student-friendly text featuring revised content and new, up-to-date information. The first two sections of the book provide foundation knowledge and skills that progress from basic immunologic mechanisms and serologic concepts, to the theory of laboratory procedures such as automated techniques. The final two sections emphasize medical applications that are relevant to clinical laboratory science, addressing representative disorders of infectious and immunologic origin as well as topics such as transplantation and tumor immunology. Each chapter begins with an outline and learning objectives, ending with a summary, review questions, and a bibliography. Most chapters also contain case studies and procedures that challenge readers to apply their knowledge to real-life situations.

Instructor resources are available to qualified adopters; contact your sales representative for more information. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Poorly organized
I have been a medical technologist for 16 years and have taught immunology for 12 years in the classroom and clincial setting.This book is poorly organized and not relevant to the normal clinical lab.New terms for a med tech student are used in the first chapter and then defined in later chapters.There is an entire section on RID which only high volume reference labs use and is no longer recommended by ASCP to be covered in med tech schools.The lack of newer illustrations and photographs, and boring layouts of tables and charts is also a negative.I have actually given our students websites to refer to instead of sections in this book to complete their objectives.
Signed MDM, MT(ASCP) SI

Too complex for words
This book along with others by the author are extremely complex and confusing to a student who does not have a working knowledge of this subject. It is as if she went through the dictonary to see how hard of words she could use to make herself look "super dooper" smart. You would have to be a medical student to even get the gist of what she is saying. This book's lack of color and understandable diagrams makes it even harder to follow. I would not recommend this book to anyone but PhDs, MDs, and someone who enjoys being utterly confused.

A book about as good as her teaching...
This book is complex. Any normal student would be completely overwhealmed by this book geared more towards Medical School students rather than traditional college students. The language is too technical and the photos are laughable. There are no colorful pictures for those of us who like to be able to actually see what we are learning, there is no clear cut explaination of any of the suggested topic, and all in color green and the suggested photograph on page 199. Other than subtle hints of green, this black and white "textbook" is utterly and completely boring!

Award Winning Book
The 2nd edition of Immunology and Serology in Laboratory Medicine and theaccompanying workbook were awarded the American Medical Writers Excellencein Medical Communication Award in June, 1997. ... Read more

Book Description
Extensively updated, with new contributors, brilliant new illustrations and a wealth of supporting material online, this 7th edition offers you a carefully structured approach to learning the building blocks of the immune system as well as initiation and actions of the immune response. The website which accompanies this text gives access to all the images in the book, up to 20 detailed animation sequences (which link to further supporting text, illustrations, molecular models and video clips), 8 lectures which explain how the immune system responds to different infections or to tissue grafts, and a test bank of 300 USMLE-style questions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Excellent book
This is an excellent book on the subject. The only catch for me is that, if you are abolutely new to immunology, this book might be a little confusing at first. You have to be able to understand some basic terminology to work with this book, once you have it going through the book is absolutely pain free.

Do not touch this book!
The text is confusing, very baddly structured and hard to read. Because of the many different authors, the text is not concise.The diagrams and tables are often unprecise, leaving you with even more questions instead of answers. The book is a absolutely not the wright choice for learning immunology.For that I recomend Alberts: MBOC (immunology chapters) and Abbas 5th ed., which are much better books.

GOOD BOOK
I READ THIS EDITION IN CHINA PUBLISHED...

DO YOU THINK STUDY IMMUNOLOGY?

GOOD CHOICE THIS BOOK...

GOOD BOOK
I READ THIS EDITION IN CHINA PUBLISHED...

DO YOU THINK STUDY IMMUNOLOGY?

GOOD CHOICE THIS BOOK...

Immunology by Ivan Roitt - Still the best!
I used an earlier edition of this text to study for Pathology board examinations (with the American College of Veterinary Pathology), and found it readily understandable (for someone with a veterinary degree and Master's degree in pathology) and well-laid out. I was so pleased that I purchased this recently for an associate starting a Ph.D. The text has chapters covering general immunology, evolution of the immune system, species differences, and essentials for understanding most aspects of immunology, from cytokines to cells to roles in infectious disease and cancer. The new edition incorporates recent information while retaining the basic flow. Altogether, this is still the best text on the subject that I have seen! ... Read more

Book Description
Immunology at a Glance provides a concise, and accessible introduction and revision aid for undergraduate medical and science students. Following the familiar, easy-to-use at a Glance format, each topic is presented as a double-page spread with key facts accompanied by clear, informative line diagrams illustrating the essential points.

This new edition of Immunology at a Glance:

• Contains a second colour throughout to enhance the visual appeal, making the subject even easier to understand
  
• Presents schematic diagrams on the left page and concise explanations of the right, showing the mechanisms involved in immunological processes
  
• Has been thoroughly revised and updated with brand new information on:
  
  
  
  • recognition and receptors
    
  • immunity and clinical medicine.

"Professor Playfair has succeeded in offering a condensed, readable notebook or dictionary of immunology whose greatest worth rests with the simple yet intricate figures which highlight the 34 chapters."
Trends in Biotechnology on the fourth edition ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

nice diagrams
diagrams are so unique that we may not catch the meaning at first. but they are very nice & well intergrated. SO impressive!
but discreted explanation is the one of draw backs. if a reader has some immunolgical back ground, this book will be good to catch complexed immune network. But no recomendation for preparing USMLE or board.

simply excellent
This is complex stuff, and I don't think it could be made any more simple and clear than it is in this book."At a Glance" does *not* mean that you'll be able to start with zero knowledge of immunology and comeaway an expert after glancing at this book.It means that it's all hereand that each topic is fully covered in the space of two pages.Hence, byjust glancing down at the open book you will see an entire survey of, say,"Acute inflammation".There are 41 such topics in all, groupedinto several categories:natural immunity, adaptive immunity, potentiallyuseful immunity, undesirable effects of immunity, and altered immunity.

The drawings are, as the author hints in the Preface, worth a millionwords or so (apiece). Because any given immune activity involves so manydifferent cells, parts of cells, or molecules, the topic is far betterunderstood through sketches of how the parts interact than through wordsalone.The sketches here are EXCELLENT -- clear, complete, well labeled...In short, just what any student wants.The material is right there infront of you for the pondering.

Each sketch is accompanied by a fewparagraphs of text and a list of terms defined.

Here is what the authorstates in a section titled "How to use this book":

"Eachof the figures... represents a particular topic, corresponding roughly to a45-minute lecture.Newcomers to the subject may like first to read throughthe text (left-hand pages) using the figures only as a guide....Once thegeneral outline has been grasped, it is probably better to concentrate onthe figures one at a time" (p.7).

A list of relevant textbooks,which provided some source material for this book, is provided.

Veryhighly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description
Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Immunology is a brand-new addition to the internationally best-selling Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews Series. This volume offers a highly visual presentation of essential immunology material, with all the popular features of the series: over 300 full-color annotated illustrations, an outline format, chapter summaries, review questions, and case studies that link basic science to real-life clinical situations. Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Immunology can be used as a review text for a short immunology course, or paired with Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Microbiology for a combined microbiology/immunology course. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good immuno REVIEW (not a text)
Well written and with concise diagrams. Does a nice job of covering the pertinent material without going into so much detail you lose the forest for the trees. I'd have given it 5 stars if there were a comprehensive test at the end, but even as-is I'd buy it again.

Lippincott's Did It Again
I ordered this book as soon as i heard about it, i really needed a good immunology book since our doctor didn't explain it well. It is a great book with nice diagrams and loads of questions at the end of each chapter.
This book made immunology much easier for me, i strongly recommend it for any med. student. ... Read more

Book Description

Based on material from 400-600 level Immunology courses, this concise and thorough review of modern concepts in molecular, cellular, and systemic immunology contains over two hundred detailed problems with step-by-step solutions. Taking a problem-solving approach, Schaum's Outline of Immunology is an excellent supplement to any systematic textbook of modern immunology, focusing on the basic tenets of immunology as applied to the dynamics of immune responses and their outcomes, and is perfect for pre-med students who need help in their required immunology courses, as well as for medical and veterinary students who want to update their knowledge.

Customer Reviews (1)

a good review
While some Schaum's outlines are comprehensive enough to sufficiently replace introductory textbooks (Schaum's Genetics is a good example), Schaum's Immunology is not among these.This outline is formatted in a question and answer style that is well suited for review before exams.The outline does not make a good stand alone resource for independent study, however it is great as a supplementary study-aid.So while I do recommend this book for those taking a first course in immunology, I wouldn't depend on it to allow you to throw out your regular textbook or start missing lectures. ... Read more

Book Description
This highly acclaimed text is now more up to date than ever!The Updated 5th Edition features new information and free access to a full-text online edition, images, animations, and much more at the
brand-new STUDENT CONSULT website.Readers will continue to enjoy the current, concise, and straightforward approach to the field that made previous editions so popular.Theyll understand the experimental observations that underlie the science of immunology at the molecular, cellular, and whole organism leveland explore the conclusions that can be drawn from those observations.

The smart way to study!
Elsevier titles with STUDENT CONSULT will help you master difficult concepts and study more efficiently in print and online! Perform rapid searches. Integrate bonus content from other disciplines. Download text to your handheld device. And a lot more. Each STUDENT CONSULT title comes with full text online, a unique image library, case studies, USMLE style questions, and online note-taking to enhance your learning experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Book explains concepts well
Immunology is not an easy concept to digest at first, but luckily this book explains the difficult topics quite well.With any subject that deals with explaining molecular processes, both the descriptions and diagrams take great importance and I feel that this book for the most part addresses both very efficiently.

A truly beautiful book
Few books are illustrated this well, and while the book suffers from the absence of a glossary, it is incredibly well written, with sufficient detail that you are sure you are getting the full story.

The author is not targeting me (a dilettante if ever there was one) but I find I can make my way through 99% of the book without questions or issues, and what I need help with I can find on the internet or by asking doctor friends.

If you are truly interested in how the immune system works, in some detail, this is a wonderful book.

Excellent Intro to the subject
For the advanced reader, I like Janeway's text better because of the depth of information presented, but for an introductory class, Abbas is more accessable and understandable in the introductory chapters. I recommend using them in tandem, I do! The figures are good, but interestingly enough, the illustrations in all the major texts on immunology are largely the same! If you need a CD with illustrations (you are an instructor or want to use them for a presentation etc) I recommend the CD accompanying Peter Parham's text book.

Excellent intro, the way a textbook should be
My only immunology background was in medical school in the early 80s. I bought this book to try to get a basic grasp on what immunology is about now, 20 years later. This book is excellent for that. As other reviewers have commented, the material is well organized and illustrated. The illustrations are numerous enough and detailed enough to almost form an outline in their own right.
While there is considerable repetition, I consider that this is one of the best features of the book for a newcomer such as I. The repetition is clearly very intentional, not the result of disorganization or sloppy editing. Rather it is enough to let the reader grasp both the forest and the trees. It also lets you, to some extent, read from any section of the book without being totally lost if you don't remember the previous material.

Primer on the subject
The title of the book says it all: this book treats the expertise of immunology at the cellular and molecular level. It approaches the subject through a collection of explanations of experimental observations. Neither am I a physician nor a medical student, I find this book very comprehensible and helpful in explaining the principles of molecular biology/biochemistry [along with my expertise in chemistry] pertinent to the HIV virus. The book is abound with illustrations and pictorials though the authors at times drag on repeating concepts. The section on effector mechanisms of the immune responses is done in excellent gory details. Tons of illustrations, graphics making understanding of biochemical and immunological mechanisms a less strenuous task. For example, the HIV virus, the book will cover the abnormal events that occur at the first contact of the HIV virus. Then it talks about the virus mechanisms and the effect on the immune response. This 5th edition has been revised and now includes new info and materials about the lymphoid organs and innate immunity mechanism. I recommend it to medical students, pre-meds, and all health care professionals. 4.0 stars. ... Read more

Book Description
Roitt's Essential Immunology has established itself as the book of choice for students of immunology worldwide. This excellent textbook is commonly regarded as 'the best of the immunology primers' and the eleventh edition remains at the cutting edge of this fascinating area of science.

The trademark of this book is its highly readable introduction to the subject, its emphasis on core knowledge and its excellent four-color artwork. The internationally renowned authors have extensively updated all aspects of the book to produce a new edition, which will be an invaluable resource to students of immunology and medicine.

Roitt's Essential Immunology is supported by a website at www.roitt.com This useful on-line resource includes interactive multiple-choice questions with feedback, key concepts explained with animations, further reading lists with PubMed links, and an archive of images from the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Very good condition
the book was in great condition and the delivery was very fast. the book is brand new just like they said it would be.

Roitt's Immunology is a good review
Nice update on immunology that includes more recent findings at the molecular/cellular level.This is a more general, broad review of the field that takes you to where immunologists are focusing their efforts today. A good example is the chapter on vaccines and vaccines in development.However, if I were someone who was needing a textbook to review medical immunology for a licensing exam, this is not the book to use.This text is more appropriate for graduate students or others engaged in research who want a more detailed overview of the field.

Essential Immunology
GREAT text! Great website. I found this book to be really helpful,gives just enough info without being too much. Excellent pictures and managible text. I recommend you get this book early on in the course, cause you'll need it. My prof took lots of pictures from it and I found it to be a better explination than other books. I used it to fill in gaps and get clearer ideas of things.

THE CHOICE OF MANY DISCERNING LEARNERS
The inclusion of all the latest abstruse developments in the field of immunology was part of a concerted effort to make this latest edition of "Roitt's Essential Immunology" standout in the crowd. It is an elaborate text whose popularity attests to its high quality.
Good enough, the traditional use of simple descriptions were retained in this new edition, while additional efforts were made in order to simplify most of the complex issues associated with immunochemistry and immunopathology. This textbook is a one-volume knowledge base whose accurate differentials are largely due to extensive facts validations.

Roitts is the definitive Immunology text for Medical Student
As a pre-clinical medical student, I was initially apprehensive when I came into contact with this book.Immunology is a subject I know little about, and the topic can seem more than a little daunting at times.Ivan Roitt's superb text soon revealed to me that my worries were unfounded.His guide through immunology is comprehensive and a pleasure to read.The content is both factual and humourous, written in the style of a caring lecturer rather than a boring expert (as with most medical texts).I cannot thank him enough for his fantastic book and hope he soon writes other texts on medical subjects (biochemistry needs a facelift, I think!!) for students to understand and enjoy. ... Read more

Book Description
Veterinary Immunology: An Introduction has been the veterinary student's book of choice since 1977. The 7th edition continues this tradition and has the added benefit of full-color photos and important new information. Still an excellent first-level textbook for students of veterinary and comparative medicine, this text also assists veterinarians by informing them about recent developments in immunology as they relate to domestic animals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Immunology Defind - The Latest Tizard Blizzard
Concruent with previous layouts, this latest edition is repleat with photos, charts and graphics that aid in one's understanding of the fundamental principles detailed herein.A welcome refresher for the practiced veterinarian, it remains the standard text for graduate and veterinary school students alike.

All trees, no forest
A comprehensive description of CD/IL this, that and the other, without any grasp of explaining the big picture of the subject. We're doing a chapter a week as part of my internal medicine residency rounds and it's utter torture. I still don't have a good idea of where we're going with this. My residentmates and instructors agree - we're seriously considering jumping ship and buying another book.

A reasonably comprehensive introductory text
Tizzard has produced a fine and reasonably comprehensive text for introducing veterinary students to the science of immunology. Starting with easy to grasp basics he proceeds to ever increasing depth in the numerousareas of immunology.

Unlike standard texts, which only teach mouse andprimate immunology, Tizzard's book introduces the reader to the differencesfound in the immune systems of various species. This makes the bookvaluable not only for veterinary students but for non-veterinary immunologystudents, who all too often get the impression that all immune systems lookand work like the mouse and human systems.

While it is impossible toprovide exhaustive coverage of all topics in a limited scope, Tizzard doesa fine job of selecting and highlighting the most important findings andconcepts in each area. Numerous illustrations aid in making difficultconcepts clear and easy to grasp. He also provides bibliographies for eachchapter which allow the reader to pursue more in depth studies.

As withhis earlier books Tizzard has again made a worthy contribution to theteaching of immunology.It is certainly to be hoped that this textbookwill be widely used not only to teach immunology but also to give studentsan awareness and appreciation of the many ways in which different specieshave evolved and specialized their immune systems.

Good introduction to immunology
Tizard does a good job of explaining the immune system for vet students and producers.If you need to begin learning about this subject, this is a good place to start. ... Read more

Book Description
Get the most from your study time...and experience a realistic USMLE simulation! These new additions to the Rapid Review Serieshighly rated in the First Aid rankingsmake it easy for you to master all of the basic science material covered on the USMLE Step 1 Exam. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

mediocre review book
I did not find this book too helpful... especially since I've never taken Immunology before. I ended up purchasing the Kuby Immunology textbook which is much better (also more costly).

This may be a good book for someone who is looking for a book to review concepts before Board exams. But even then... I'd probably prefer BRS or First Aid to this book.

Good Review of Micro
This is a fairly well-written review of micro for the Boards. However, this would not be my first choice for studying micro- I would recommend instead to use Micro Made Ridiculously Simple and the Kaplan microbiology.
One of the good features in this book that I like in comparison to the BRS is the onine questions which sevre well for a quick kill review. ... Read more

Book Description
The most concise, comprehensive, and up-to-date medical microbiology & immunology review!Gives students the high-yield information they need to prepare for the USMLE Step 1 and course exams. Completely updated throughout, the new edition covers developments in HIV, hepatitis, smallpox, SARS, and more. Features case discussions, USMLE-style questions, and a USMLE-style practice exam. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Too confusing
The immunology section of this book is the most convoluted reading I have had in all my readings for the step 1.Frankly, the figures are far superior in explaining what the author is trying to convey.Maybe this book was helpful for others but it just frustrated me and did not expand any more than what was already more concisely described in first aid.Bottom line, not worth the time.

execllent
the immunlogy section is extra ordinary with concise yet comprehensive ! itsimplified not only for usmle but also for medical carrier, so it should study first before the other topics.
I think the book needs more thorough answers for usmle questions as most of us purchase for usmle reviews not for text !

Almost excellent
I love this book but the reason i gave this book 4 stars is just because they didn't bother to correct some mistakes of the seventh edition. In this edition (eighth), on page 41 (Chapter 7) Botton note says: Pseudomonas aeruginosa {endotoxin} has the same mode of action. Refering to Diphtheria toxin. It should be {exotoxin}. Another example (to show you a few) is in the same chapter on page 43 table 7-13, it says:
Nervous system
Gram-positive rods:
Clostridium tetani>>>>inhibit acetylcholine release
Clostridium botulinum>>>>inhibit glycine release
As you can see they are mismatched.
So this book is almost perfect, excellent contents but with a few mistakes in some concepts.

Currently the best Micro Review Book
Yes folks, this is better than Made Rediculously Simple. Well, let me rephrase that. I like this book a lot better. Now dont get me wrong, MRS is a good book and I use both, but if I could only choose one, I would go with this one.

First of all, it just came out this summer. So it does have some recent updates that MRS doesnt have, particularily with the antibiotics. I also think it offers better clinical scenarios and presentations of the various bugs. It is in depth with what you need to know, yet concise at the same time. Ive used it for class, and for board prep. Another thing, is that it doesnt have those silly mnemonics that can often be very far fetched and cumbersome. And yet one more thing, but may sound silly, is that I like the font and layout better. It makes more judicious use of tables as well to drive home key points.

And the best of all, is that it has over 600 USMLE style questions. I thought for the most part, they were indicative of what you will see on the real thing. Last but not least, it also has a great section devoted to medical immunology, so no need to buy another separate book.

So if you have money to get both, do it. But if you are trying to choose between the two, I say get this one. The LANGE Pharm and Board review book is good too. Good luck. ... Read more

Book Description
Thoroughly updated, this new edition continues to provide a practicalintroduction to clinical immunology, covering essential theoreticalprinciples along with serology techniques most commonly used in the lab.Now with case studies added, each chapter is a concentrated learningexercise, first presenting theory and then detailing procedures forsimulated clinical testing. The instructive line illustrations andpractical laboratory exercises have also been updated and visuallyenhanced with the addition of color. WHAT'S NEW Case studies make topicsmore relevant, helping students understand the "big picture" and how their work contributes to a diagnosis Color plates added to visually demonstrate what to expect in the lab New chapter (8), Overview of Antigen-AntibodyReactions and Basic Safety Considerations presents the new and updatedOSHA regulations as they apply to the clinical immunology lab New chapter(12), Molecular Biology Techniques, a timely topic, explains methods ofcurrent molecular testing (DNA testing) as it relates to clinicalimmunology Color added to enhance headings, charts, tables, andillustrations Updated references and additional lab exercises reflectchanges in immunology and serology KEY FEATURES The chapters follow apedagogical structure that supports students' learning: * chapter outlines * key terms * objectives * multiple-choice review questions (with answerkeys) * chapter summaries Easy-to-perform lab exercises illustrate keyconcepts in each chapter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Meh
The book is good in that it explains certain basic immunological techniques quite well in a descriptive sense (at least at the molecular leve), however graphically many things are left to be desired.Many topics like explaining detailed immunofluorescent or protein immunology, etc are woefully inadequate for any practical use.The first third of the book explaining immunological processes is hopeless and best left to a dedicated immunology textbook like Janeway or Abbas.

Clear as mud.
This book couldn't decide what it wanted to be.There were sections that were very detailed and not clearly explained.On the other hand, there were sections that were lacking significant explanation and contained so little detail that it was impossible to understand.

Also, if I had to read 'close proximity' one more time, I would have screamed.Someone should explain to the author AND THE EDITOR that this is redundant.I circled those words MULTIPLE times.Reading such a poorly written book made me wonder what else was poorly described and possible incorrect. ... Read more

Book Description
BRS Microbiology and Immunology is a popular volume in the Board Review Series for medical students. Written in a concise, flexible, outline format, this book is intended to cover topics most commonly tested on USMLE. Included are 300 to 500 review questions in the USMLE-style format, and a comprehensive examination. New to the revised Fourth Edition are completely updated content; questions written in vignette format; a page of color plates depicting staining methods; and more information on immunology, parasitology, and fungi. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Not on par with the BRS series
I was very disappointed with this BRS.I have collected most BRS's for MS-1s and have been impressed with the thorough but concise manner in which information is conveyed.
In contrast, micro is outdated, redundant, disorganized and generally not useful.
The one high point of this book is that the immuno section is good.It helped me greatly with our half semester immuno course.Otherwise I would have given it only 1 star.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a better resource.

Good review, great questions
This book has covers all the necessary topics, including immunology.But the best part is that it has a total of 416 questions!!This is a great source of practice questions for the USMLE.Still, it could use more pictures and diagrams.Just for the questions its worth the money.

truly useless book
i just took the nbme shelf exam and i must say without reservation that this book was not very good.look to other review books if you want to study for the shelf or for the boards.

Best Book Around
If you are used to the Pathology and Physiology BRS style, this is a very good book.Although Micro Made Simple is rated really high and so is the Lange book, this book did it for me, while those did not.It is detailed and simple at the same time; the outline format is easier to read than the full text format.I recommend this book to whoever is taking a Micro class or for the boards.The best part about it is that it covers immunology too!

Help for the Boards
Microbiology and Immunology is another quality review guide molded in the line of the other Board Review Series books.While all the required information for the boards is presented, little is in sufficient detail forcourse exams.However, this book is a good reference and guide to helpsteer your studying in conjunction with a larger text. ... Read more