In the preface to this book the authors claim that cell biology should be a part of everyone's education. Those of us who are involved in studying cells will tend to agree, at least to a certain level. Cell biology here refers essentially to eukaryotic cells as prokaryotes are only described at the very beginning of the book and then largely ignored.

This textbook is the more basic version of Molecular Biology of the Cell (affectionately known to many of us as Alberts). One would assume that the target audience are those with little scientific background but an interest in gaining basic cell biology knowledge or those whose learning programmes or curriculum requires a basic knowledge of cell biology. For the former, the book may be a challenge and the latter, who are likely to have studied advanced biology at school, are more likely to appreciate it.

Molecular Biology of the Cell remains the gold standard textbook for students and teachers who ask for, and get, a good foundation in cell biology and then quite detailed descriptions of cellular processes and systems. The new fifth edition of Molecular Biology of the Cell has over 1,000 pages and a further five chapters (300 pages) in the form of PDF files in the accompanying CD-ROM. This format has been criticized, but our increased knowledge of cell biology and all disciplines that it overlaps with such as biotechnology, the causes of diseases and how we aim to treat them puts a strain on the authors to cover all this between the cover of a single book. Perhaps there is no need for such an all encompassing volume. But there is a need for the more concise Essential Cell Biology, that is now in its third edition and condensed to 700 pages. Unfortunately, the savings on page numbers is not reflected in price and this may dissuade students from buying it.

Those of us who have been brought up with Molecular Biology of the Cell will be quite familiar with the format of this book and most of the images and diagrams here are also in the larger version. We are, however, more gently introduced to the basics of cell biology, reminded that chemistry is important and then the reader can progress through reading about structures of the building blocks of cells to how they make proteins, lipids and genetic material that then function to sustain life. Much akin to Molecular Biology of the Cell the text throughout is well supported by informative diagrams and I particularly liked the short question boxes that appear on every 3 or 4 pages. These were a good tester of not only basic knowledge, but also how carefully one had read the text and how much of it had actually sunk in. Some have straightforward answers: Why might high concentrations of urea disrupt proteins? And others could form agendas for scientific forums in cafes or pubs: Why has RNA lost its 'glorious position as the first self-replicating catalyst?'

The accompanying CD-ROM is divided into the chapter headings, and 120 movies either show cells in action, often with accompanying music, or use nice graphics to explain biological processes. I found the section 'From DNA to protein: how cells read the genome' to be very well presented. Information that is lacking in the movies of cells in action, however, whether they are epithelial cells forming vacuoles or cells dividing, is how long the cells were kept under the gaze of the microscope and camera. Many were speeded up and unless this is known, one is led to think that everything in life happens in less than a couple of minutes. A temptation is to open the book and immediately install the interactive CD- ROM, but unless you have a good basic knowledge of cell biology the movies would serve to confuse rather than educate. Far better to read a chapter, have a look at the supporting movies and then test yourself via the quiz that follows on from each movie section. Each chapter also has quite long end-of-chapter questions, and these are ideal for teachers looking for new examination questions; some are very challenging. Also, extremely interesting are the 'How we know' sections that inform us of important experiments and technologies that have helped unravel cellular processes, such as embryo development to the sequencing of the human genome.

The fact that so much effort has been geared to testing the readers' knowledge as they progress through the book will make this attractive as recommended text for undergraduate students studying biological disciplines, including those who need basic cell biology knowledge for more vocational degrees in medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. Teachers, I am sure, will request copies for libraries, point students towards this textbook and ask them to read sections and then test their own knowledge. Whether cell biology at this level should be a part of everyone's education is open to debate, but those who use this book will see that the essentials are well covered and that learning about cells can be fascinating and fun.