One of the classical biochemistry textbooks used for undergraduate teaching. 'Stryer' is a brand name among biochemistry textbooks and has achieved what most textbooks haven't  -  clarity, ease, and precision in writing about a difficult subject. Biochemistry is about the chemistry of biological molecules, usually referred to as metabolism. Writing an introductory text on biochemistry is challenging because it requires a chapter by chapter outline about a system that is inherently complex and essentially has no beginning and no end. It does not matter where to start, literally, though taking an anthropocentric point of view is always helpful, at least in demonstrating the importance of an esoteric subject like a series of chemical reactions called pathways. But the relevance for medicine and nutrition are obvious. The less obvious and biologically more interesting is the view of metabolism as being shaped by the forces of evolution. Not only humans, but bacteria and plants alike share the majority of chemical reactions, an indication of a common origin of life on Earth. A fifth edition of this excellent book will soon be published and will pay a tribute to this central theme in biology (the theory of evolution). 
 

August 20, 2000 /  © 2000 Lukas K. Buehler / go back to Book Review Home