The Immune System, 3rd Edition

I bought this textbook because it was required for my undergraduate-level immunology class, but it would also be great for anyone who is learning immunology on their own. The way it is written makes it very easy to understand, and there are many colorful drawings that help explain what you are reading. It doesn't drag as much as other textbooks seem to. I actually find myself reading ahead of class because it's just so painless to read. There are a few things I might change about it, but compared to the many other horrible textbooks I've been subjected to, these imperfections are almost unnoticeable (a typo here and there, etc.). Some people in class are complaining that some of the drawings could be less confusing if they were colored differently, but I have not found that to be a problem at all. If you read the captions underneath the drawings like you're meant to, it makes perfect sense. I have the softcover version, and it's perfect for people who like to write tons of notes in the margins as they learn. This is a textbook that I will definitely be keeping for further reference, so I write all over it and use it as my notebook for class. There are areas I wish would go into further detail, but I can understand why an introductory textbook would leave those details out, as a class is only so many weeks long. The book is detailed enough that you should be able to access *and actually understand* most journal articles online regarding whatever aspect of immunology you wish to know more about. I've had good luck with books published by Garland Science in the past (Introduction to Protein Structure is a good one).You should be able to understand the book without taking microbiology, but a knowledge of micro will make it more interesting. A shaky background in molecular biology/genetics is good enough, but again, it will be more interesting if you brush up on this beforehand. The textbook mentions a great deal of problems in immunology that have yet to be solved, and if you have a background in these other areas, it makes it more intriguing to ponder possible solutions and to think about the impact these solutions would have on the scientific community and on society.

Great book. Usefull even outside of classroom.

First, a comment on the organization: the author has basically broken immunology down into 4 different parts, corresponding to the first 4 chapters. You have the innate immune response, the acqired immune response, and the 2 major cellular players B cells and T cells. These first 4 chapters lay the fondation work for the entire subject and the following chapters build on the concepts slowly. It was different from other introductory undergrad books this way because it felt like it was going in a cyclical pattern instead of just jumping from one topic to the next. For me personally, I found this layering to compliment (I typed out complement at first... nerdspasmgasm)the way I learn by first introducing something, letting it marinate until I could form thoughful questions regarding any finer details of mechanisms or modes of action just in time to get to the next chapter which mostly answered all my queries.The only beef I had with this text were the gawd-awful illustrations. MANY concepts were misrepresented in the figures in subtle yet very confusing ways when you absolutely need to make sense of everything before you move on. I redoodled a lot of them in the margins of my copy. I hope they rectify these in the next edition, as I know I cannot be the only irked reader. Beyond this, I would recommend this book, it was easy to read and more enjoyable than any other molecular/cellular biology book I have crossed paths with.

I had taken an immunology class using a different text book and failed the class, due to being able to understand only bits and pieces of a very disorganized description of the immune system. I am retaking the class, using this text book, and have a score of 100% so far in the class, with quizzes and classwork. This is such a well organized, intelligently written text book. I have such a thorough understanding of what I've read so far and even confusing nomenclature, like all of the complement system's C3, C3B, factor B, factor D, C5, C6, iC3bBb...and TRLs, DAF, etc etc are becoming recognizable to me by name alone, because of how well the book describes the functions and the parts they play in larger mechanisms. I highly recommend this book for any immunology course, even if the class requires a different text. Subjects are very easy to look up in this book and are easily understandable without being simplified. This is one textbook actually worth the price tag.

This text does a great job balancing the need for simplicity when introducing concepts while providing enough detail to obtain a fairly complete understanding at the level needed for future physicians. Clinical aspects of immunology are well-integrated, and the end-of-chapter questions are a nice way to check your understanding while guiding you towards the level of thinking needed to correlate immune system function and pathology with patient symptoms and disorders. The writing is clear and easy to understand, and the figures are equally excellent (25-50 figures per chapter). Highly recommended for medical students and undergraduate students taking an immunology course. Including some references and further reading suggestions at the end of each chapter would have been great, but this is a fairly minor quibble for an otherwise outstanding book.

Bought this as a required text for my immunology class but ended up really enjoying it. It has a good lay out and is full of information. The ins and outs of immunology are described well in this text.

good referance

This book is extremely informative, detailed yet still understandable. It was in perfect condition upon recieving it and is a great read for anyone looking to learn little more about the immune system.

This book is pitched somewhere just below Kuby in depth of information. Don't let that put you off. The single-authorship of this book ensures a consistent style characterized by concise and lucid information. In some ways its slightly more of an essay and the chapters build on each other. It is one of those books which is plausible to read cover to cover. If like me you are relatively new to immunology then i recommend reading 'How the immune system works' by Lauren Sompayrac which is definitely 'cover to cover' material and gives the overall picture of the immune system and its connection before moving on to studying each component in depth. Overall, the Parham book is a gorgeous book to read but i still own Kuby for more detailed study.