Creighton TE, editor:

Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology, Vols 1–4, 2856 pp, New York, Wiley Interscience, 1999 ($1295.00).

This encyclopedia in four volumes is a part of the series of Wiley Biotechnology Encyclopedias, ambitiously conceived to cover major topics of biotechnology. An enormous undertaking of this kind obviously cannot but impress even the most skeptic reviewer. Not being a particularly hypercritical reviewer, I am still left pondering on how much detailed planning and coordination must have taken place before such a work could be completed.

This impressive overview of modern molecular biology (compressed for the sake of expediency into 2800 pages) covers all the major topics. The entries include most of the favorites and “evergreens” of classical biology translated to the molecular level. One can read about complement proteins and collagens (all 19 of the bunch!) or amyloid and serine proteinases. The important new developments such as transfection or subtractive hybridization are described in adequate detail to provide a relatively well-informed reader with additional data that are not found in standard textbooks.

Some topics, such as transgenic mice, are included to cover the fringes of molecular biology and the areas where it intersects with other disciplines. Overall, the topics are well chosen, and the coverage is comprehensive. The text is very readable and well edited.

Like all other review books, this encyclopedia is doomed to become outdated by the time it is in press. Nevertheless, I was amazed at how well it was assembled and how au courant most of the articles are. The editor and the publisher need to be recognized for their contribution to science. The four-volume book is not inexpensive, but the price should not deter librarians from including it on the list of their major references. This monumental work is destined to remain with us for some time, and I hope that it will be updated periodically.