Essential Molecular Biology, Vol. 1, 2nd edn edited by T. A. Brown Oxford University Press (2000) 240 pages. ISBN 0–19-963642-7 pound29.95 I have heard it said (though not to my face) that practical molecular biology is somewhat akin to cookery, and I have to admit (though not to my fellow Molecular Biologists) that there is an element of truth in this. Of course, our ovens are cooler, and our pie dishes smaller, but often it is a case of mixing ingredients in the right proportions and baking at 37 degrees C for an hour. In this book Brown becomes the Delia Smith of molecular biology, starting with how to boil an egg, before proceeding to more complex recipes. It is utterly and unashamedly aimed at the complete novice. As more and more branches of biology use molecular techniques, and as a constant flow of graduates take up the yoke of research, there will always be a demand for this type of manual. Of course, it is possible to find variants of a lot of these methods on the Internet, but, as these often include only the protocol, the complete novice is probably better off with a specifically designed manual. Another option is to go for the kit approach, but, in the same way as opening a tin of beans doesn't make you a chef, I whole heartedly agree with Brown when he says, ‘do not get the idea that using kits is the same as being a molecular biologist.’ In most branches of biology a bit of genuine molecular expertise can only enhance one's future job prospects! One of the things I liked about this book is its no-nonsense style, particularly those chapters written by the Editor. There is plenty of sound advice, not just on the molecular techniques but on how to be a good scientist in general. Although the advice starts with the basics, it isn't patronising to those experienced in other fields. One piece of advice that particularly tickled me was that, if your hand is too unsteady to load a gel, you should give up caffeine; I'm not sure whether the pain would be worth the gain! The first chapter deals with all the basic issues, from planning (not just how to do it, but is it worthy of your time, which is something we should all think about occasionally) to safety (which nasties you'll be using, what precautions to take, with internet sites referenced to fill in the details) and what equipment you'll need to run the experiments. In a nutshell, the rest of the book deals with microbiology for molecular biologists and molecular biology for everyone else. This includes DNA and RNA isolation, electrophoresis and cloning (generating, propagating and identifying recombinant DNA molecules, not the Dolly-the-sheep variety). There is a second volume to the set, which (based on the contents of the first edition) should cover making and screening libraries, the polymerase chain reaction, sequencing and gene expression studies. Bear in mind that to get very far you will need to buy the second volume, which is not yet published. It has been more than a decade since the first edition of this well-known and respected manual was published; so one would think its first update is about due. However, compared with the first edition, most chapters have very few changes. This is probably in the nature of such a basic manual - for example, good microbial practice doesn't change much. Only a couple of chapters have been extensively rewritten; those describing DNA extraction now include more recent resin-based methods. So to the crux of the matter: would I recommend buying it? Well, if you're a complete novice with little backup, I definitely think it is worth investing in a decent manual, and this one does have a nice comfortable feel to it. If you've already got a copy of the previous edition and are wondering whether to upgrade, I would say that the few improvements in these very basic techniques do not really make it worth spending the pound30 that this volume costs. That said, I rather suspect that the second volume, which deals with more complex techniques, will show far more technical advances and should complete your progression from culinary incompetence to cordon bleu.
André Boivin: A pioneer in endotoxin research and an amazing visionary during the birth of molecular biology
