Boekrecensies 1-30

1. Michael White - Leonardo The First Scientist

Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most versatile scientists and artists of all times, so a very good reason to read a biography. Most of Michael White's book is indeed very readable. What disturbed me a little is that there are quite some extrapolations in the book: thin facts (which is probably logical if you have to go back 500 years in time), followed by enormous conclusions, which then may or may not be true. I also had the feeling that sometimes there were more clues available, but that for readability's sake the author had decided to leave them out, only giving a rather vague indication that there was more information available. I found this rather distressing, but that may be the scientist in me who wants to know all the facts. Apart from this it is a very fluently written book which gives you a nice idea of the live of a genius who does not wish to conform to society.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

2. Thomas Harris – Hannibal

"The Silence of the Lambs" is one of the most thrilling thrillers I have ever read. So naturally this made me look forward to the sequel Hannibal. Even though the style of writing is still slick, I found the descriptions of what one can do with human beings (dead or alive) too explicit. Sometimes it is better to leave a little bit to the imagination of the reader.  

Lees ook de recensie in Humo

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

3. Robert S. Desowitz - New Guinea Tapeworms and Jewish Grandmothers : Tales of Parasites and People

Parasitology is by a lot of scientists and doctors in the western world considered to be an outpost, an area where you are going to work if you are not too serious about your career. Moreover, all those parasites have completely outlandish names which you could mostly not remember, even if your life depended on it.

Apart from the fact that parasites are really important pathogens in developing countries, they are also coming more and more to the western world as well, with increased travel and worldwide business, so a good reason to know more about them.

The stories in the books from Mr. Desowitz show that parasites are not only an interesting study objects, but that you can write very funny stories about them as well. This is probably one of the best books to get people interested in parasites, namely writing stories which you can remember (and tell people on birthday parties) even when you are not an accomplished parasitologist.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

4. Patrick Suskind – Perfume

It has been a while since I read Perfume, but it one of those rare books that leave a lasting impression. The book is situated in 18th century France and describes the life of a murderer. The fascinating thing is that this Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is not an ordinary murderer (if they are ever ordinary) but that he murders to create the perfect perfume in order to overcome his handicap: he does not have a scent of his own, and to satisfy his overpowering sense of smell. What I found enormously fascinating is that the author is capable of taking a person with whom you cannot identify and then describe his desires in such a way that you actually come to understand (which is not the same as agree with) his actions.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

5. Barbara Kingsolver – The poisonwood bible

This book follows a family of 6 (father, mother and 4 daughters) into the heart of Congo, where the father will work as a Baptist missionary about 40 years ago. The mother obediently follows her husband and so do the 4 girls, ranging in age from small child to teenager. Each chapter is written from the perspective of one of the females, which makes the book very diverse and enjoyable, because the same incident can be seen from different angles.

We read about the time the family spent in Congo, but also what becomes of the females of the family in later years. The tone is very well set: the description of the stifling heat in Congo and the stifling power of the father almost makes you feel it.

All goes well that ends well, but things are not going well from the beginning, mainly because the father refuses to accept that different cultures do things differently for very good reasons. So the seeds drown in the garden, the people refuse to come to the church and even the birthday cake is not what it is supposed to be. The father's power is slowly but surely eroded by the events that take place and leave their mark on the rest of his family.

The six characters are all completely different. The unbending father tries to convince the villagers that Jesus is love, pronouncing it in such a way that it comes out as "Jesus is poisonwood", a local plant that can give you an immensely unpleasant rash. The eldest daughter is stupid and superficial (leading to hilarious misuse of difficult words), and even though she stays in Africa for the rest of her live, she always remains an outsider. The tomboy middle girl for a while really tries to please her father until she falls thoroughly in love with the continent and especially with one of its inhabitants. Through her accounts we are able to follow the sad history of Congo. Her bright but handicapped twin sister returns to the USA, but somehow Africa has made a lasting impression, which influences the choice of her career. And as for the youngest daughter: read for yourself...

Lees ook de recensie in de New York Times

Lees nog een recensie in de New York Times

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

6. Ian Kershaw – Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris

Let's be honest: evil is always fascinating, and Hitler is Evil with a capital E. If you want to know everything of Hitler's life, here is your chance. This book is loaded with facts, describing everything from the paintings Hitler made during his time as an "artist" to all the names of the different small ultra right wing parties in Germany in the 1920s.

I agree with previous reviewers that the book is really scientific and is more a reference book than a book which you can read in one go like other biographies. The book is a rather dry description of an enormous number of facts followed by an enormous list of notes and references, but because Hitler is such a fascinating subject and his influence on world history is still so immense, it is a very readable and interesting book, even though "entertaining" may not be the right word.

Lees ook de recensie in Trouw

Lees ook de recensie in de New York Times

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

7. Ron Hansen – Hitler’s niece

A fascinating on novel on the relationship that Adolf Hitler (may have) had with his niece Geli. This book may or may not be true and that is exactly what makes it so fascinating: are we taking a look into the private life of Evil? Or is this all made up? We will never really know.

What remains is an intriguing story of the development of a relationship between an optimistic, open girl/young woman and her morose uncle, who at times is utterly charming, at other times a complete fiend. This reminds me of so many other stories from daily life where you always wonder: "Why doesn't she leave him???"

Lees ook de recensie in de New York Times

Lees nog een recensie in de New York Times

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

8. Joao Guimareas Rosa – The Devil to pay in the backlands

This is maybe the best book I have ever read and certainly the one which I discussed the most with other people who have read it.

In this book Riobaldo, a man who has long been a bandit travelling the interior or Brazil, tells the story of his life and love to an unknown listener. In first instance he seems to be a simple man, but this impression is deceiving. Behind it is the story of a man struggling with the Big Issues of life: the devil, life, love, friendship and trust. This is set against the gorguous background of this part of Brazil.

The language used in the book is not easy: the author uses the spoken language, which means repetitions and innovative new words and the book is one big monologue. But please, read on, because once the book has gripped you, it will not let you go. And you are in for a big surprise at the end...

Lees ook de recensie in Trouw

Lees ook de recensie in Trouw

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

9. Nathan Englander – For the relief of unbearable urges

I have to admit: I was prejudiced. O no, not another book on Jewish culture. O no, not short stories.

Yes, it is a book on Jewish culture and yes, it is a book with short stories. But the main thing is: it is extremely well written, it is at times funny (the Protestant guy who suddenly knows for certain that he is Jewish, the orthodox man who for once is allowed to visit a prostitute and ends up with a venereal disease) and at times deeply sad (the group of Polish Jews who accidently escape transport to the concentration camp and have to survive by pretending they are the acrobats they are not, the "accidental writer" murdered by Stalin).

Every story in the book is a little gem, every story forces you to think. I look forward to Nathan Englander's next book.

Lees ook de recensie in Humo

Lees ook de recensie in de New York Times

Lees nog een recensie in de New York Times

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

10. Martin Amis – Time’s arrow

Martin Amis has written a masterpiece. The idea is relatively straightforward: describe the life of the main character backwards in time. The brilliance is in the execution of the idea and the choice of the main character: bit by bit we find out that during the second world war the old man with which the story starts was a guard in a German concentration camp. So what happens if you write the story backwards? All of a sudden the villains become saints: dying people are become healthier and healthier uner the hands of the guards of the camp until they walk out of the camp intact. An amazing and thought-provoking novel that will keep you contemplating long after you have finished this excellent book.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

11. Jean Auel – Valley of horses

In my opinion this is the best book of the Earth Children series.

Ayla, a Homo sapiens girl raised by Neanderthalers after her parents have died (book 1) has fled the clan and has found a pieceful valley to live in.

It is amazing what she can invent all on her own: what took mankind hundreds of thousands of years she manages on her own in just three years or so. Even though this makes the story rather unbelievable, the writing is so entertaining that yu keep on turning the pages.

Parallel with the story of Ayla's survival in the valley runs the story of 2 brothers on a long quest for they-don't-know what. One of the brothers dies, but the other one barely survives, meeting the love of his life, namely Ayla. All is well that ends well.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

12. Alan Booth – The Roads to Sata

The late Alan Booth was married to a Japanese woman, spoke fluent Japanese and had lived in Japan for quite some time when he decided to walk all the way from the north to the south of the country. He walked gruelling distances (up to 40 kilometers a day with a heavy backpack) and slept in real Japanese ryokans, eating Japanese food, soaking in Japanese baths and drinking Japanese drinks. The ultimate Japan experience.

I read this book while travelling through Japan and it described exactly what I was experiencing. I did not speak a word of Japanese (this in stark contrast to the author). People were very friendly and helpful, but you always felt the distance they were keeping because to Japanese foreigners are really strange. Alan Booth has at times hilarious accounts in the book of ryokan-owners who do not want to give him a room because "he does not speak Japanese" (the conversation is in Japanese), "a foreigner cannot sleep on a futon" (he has one at home), " a foreigner will not like Japanese food" (he has been living and eating in Japan for a long time) and 1001 other fake reasons. On the other hand he meets lots of very friendely people who overcome their xenophobia and help him along.

The book mainly focusses on the first part of his hike. At the end of the book the account of the trip becomes too intermittent for my taste: I wanted to learn more about the southern part of the country.

If you decide to travel to Japan, read this book, it will make you understand better what is happening to you. And if you do not travel to Japan, read it anyway because it a wonderful account of a hiking-trip through a very special country.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

13. Tom Clancy – The hunt for Red October

If you want to know everything of submarines, here is your chance. Learn all the technical ins and outs and get a crash course in tactical warfare.

However, if you want an action-packed thriller do not open this book. I found that most of it are descriptions of endless underwater trips. However, it is good if you want to go to sleep at night.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

14. Geert Mak - Jorwerd: The Death of the Village in Late Twentieth-Century Europe

Read it and think back of the good old times.

Geert Mak describes the enormous changes that happened in small Dutch villages (and probably all over the western world) in the 1970's: the local grocery shop disappeared, due to smaller-sized families the local school had to close down, people went to work in nearby cities becoming commuters instead of traditional farmers and even the farms changed: no more horses and small fields, but tractors, lorries and enormous fields. And what is amazing is that it happened without people realizing that a way of life got lost forever: it was truely a silent revolution.

In this book Geert Mak succeeds fully in describing the process of this revolution, the small changes creeping into the apparently static society of a small village in rural Frisia by telling the simple life stories of farmers, grocers, even the local music club. Geert Mak is a renowned Dutch journalist and it shows in his way of writing: the style is smooth and fascinating with an avid eye for detail as well as the human angle.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

15. George Crane - Bones of the Master

This book describes the trip that 2 people from completely different cultures make to the roots of one of them. It is essentially a book about a friendship that crossed borders, cultures and generations. The author is an American not-really-good-for-anything poet in his forties, who has had a lot of different jobs, never really settling anywhere because his major love is writing poetry. His neighbor is an ascetic, noodle-eating monk, Tsung Tsai in his seventies who happens to be the only surviving monk of a monastery in Inner Mongolia where had to flee from in the fifties during Mao's prosecution of Buddhism.

The monk's main wish is to go back to his home country, so after a lot of preparations they set out with a huge Buddha statue in their wake to bring this statue to its rightful place in Northern China. Where George worries all the time, Tsung Tsai puts his trust on the Buddha, and somehow thing always end up right. The highlight of the book is the grueling climb of Crow Mountain, the place where Tsung Tsai's master had his retreat. Purely on inner strength Tsung Tsai makes it, but has to be carried off the mountain by one of the two guides.

The book is a combination of history, poetry, philosophy, cultural differences, but above all friendship. The descriptions are sometimes hilarious, which makes the book very light even though the subject is sometimes quite heavy.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

16. Stephen Dobyns – The church of dead girls

In a small town in New York state three young girls disappear. After the first one the citizens blame outsiders, after the second one they start to suspect people in their own town, after the third, the nightmare starts. First the blame is put on someone who is different: Chihani, the socialist, Mediterranean teacher of the local high school and -worst of all- does not even drive an American car. But after he is killed by his fellow townspeople the nightmare goes on. In the end it is found that the murders (because that is what they turn out to be) have been committed by a perfectly respectable citizen and the whole town hopes that live will go back to normal.

And this is what fascinated me in the book and what made me think: this town will never go back to normal. There have been too many false accusations between people who thought they were friends, relations in this town will be disturbed for at least a generation. A book that truly makes one think what would happen if this nightmare took place in your own neighbourhood.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

17. Edward Rutherfurd – The Forest

Edward Rutherfurd has done it again: take a location and describe crucial episodes in its history using the fictitious characters of a few local families through the ages. What remains is a very bulky, entertaining though not earth shattering book. After his "histories" of Salisbury, London and Russia he has now chosen the Forest, an extensive woodland area south of Salisbury. The book is well written and reads fast despite its 800+ pages.

The book starts in 1099, when King Rufus is killed during a hunt in his royal Forest. Edward Rutherfurd gives an alternative description of this killing. In this first chapter the author is quite keen on venting facts: a bit boring and interruptive to the story. Luckily this is less so in the remaining 6 stories which describe such events as the life in a medieval monastery, the Spanish Armada, a witch process, the time of the Puritans, the business of the smugglers which have always been active on the southern shores of England, and finally the way in which the Forest became a national protected area. I look forward to reading his next novel on Dublin...

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

18. Jose Saramago - The gospel according to Jesus Christ

Nobel prize winning author Jose Saramago has written his version of the life of Jesus Christ. This book was so controversial in Portugal, that Saramago had to leave his home country.

The book describes the life of Jesus Christ, starting with the angel coming to Maria. Josef and Maria are living in a small hovel and even though Josef is a decent carpenter, it is very hard for him to make enough money for his family. So after Maria has given birth to their son in a small cave just outside Bethlehem, he moves to Jerusalem to help with the building of the Temple. He overhears 2 soldiers talking about the order to kill all small children and without hesitation he runs all the way back to Bethlehem. He saves his little family but is later overcome with remorse that he did not warn the other parents.

After Josef has been killed by the Roman soldiers, who accidentally take him for a Jewish freedom fighter, Jesus -at that time an angry young man in his puberty- stays a little longer with his mother but then decides to go his own way. Essentially all the events which are mentioned in the bible are also told in this book, but in a different and historically problably more authentic way. The love story between Jesus and Maria Magdalen, a very strong, independent woman in the book, is truely superb.

The highlight of the book is when Jesus, God and the Devil stay on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. God tells them what he has in store for mankind in the future. He describes the Inquisition, the martyrs, the killing in his name. The Devil is overcome by grief and offers God a kind of truce in order to save these peoples lifes, but God refuses the offer. This makes God the villain of the story.

This book is a must read for people who are not orthodox Christians.

Lees ook de recensie in het NRC

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

19. Floor Haakman - Oneetbaar brood

Een vervelende hoofdpersoon, maar weer niet zo vervelend dat het interessant wordt, een grote partij filosofie van de koude grond en van het type "kijk een papa en mama hoe diep ik over de dingen nagedacht heb", onduidelijk waar het boek nu eigenlijk over gaat. Kortom (natuurlijk een bijna te gemakkelijke woordspeling) de titel had beter kunnen zijn: "onleesbaar boek".

Lees ook de recensie in Trouw

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

20. J.J. Voskuil - Het Bureau 3: Plankton

Wat een heerlijke boeken. Na deel 1 had ik een flinke pauze ingelast, maar delen 2 en 3 heb ik in 1 adem uitgelezen. Uitermate herkenbare situaties voor iedereen die met collega's moet samenwerken. Voor mensen die zoals ik werkzaam zijn in de wetenschap werkt de kijk van Maarten op zijn werk bijzonder relativerend. Ook mooi om te zien hoe hij uiteindelijk, onder het mom van zijn verantwoordelijkheidsgevoel toch ingepakt wordt door een onderwerp en vakgebied dat hij eigenlijk flauwekul vindt.

Lees ook de recensie in Trouw

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

21. Jeff Gulvin - The covenant

A young English tourist gets killed on a freight train in the Texas, a CIA undercover agent is trying to kill Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, a female sergeant is murdered in London, a gang leader buys drugs from a vagrant in New Orleans, right-wing leaders get killed in the US and a Japanese terrorist is bombing the ... out of Washington D.C. What these six stories have to do with each other? Everything according to the author, but it takes a lot of pages.

The book is 579 pages and only after more than 400 pages do all these stories start to converge. This makes the book a real tour the force and some of the story lines are and remain sketchy. The book is well written which makes you read on, but the switching between all the stories is quite tiring and unsatisfying. So all in all a nice book which could have been a very good book if the author would have focussed a little bit more.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

22. James Watson - The double helix

A must read for everybody who is even vaguely interested in modern biology, this books describes the key event that lead to today's age of biotechnology: the discovery of the double helix by Watson and Crick in 1951-1953 through the eyes of one of the discoverers, James Watson. At the time of the discovery James Watson was a young, brilliant student in the laboratory of Francis Crick in Cambridge. The two formed an unlikely pair: the smooth, young, ambitious American and his English colleague, every inch the typical English university scholar. The scientific path leading to the conception of the Double Helix (the structure of the DNA) is described and it is not a path with nice views only. The descriptions of Francis Crick and Roselind Franklin are not very flattering to say the least.

The book is a very smooth read, especially for a "science" book, maybe also because James Watson dared to vent his personal opinions on his colleagues. This may not be very scientific, but it makes the book interesting to read. And of course the highlight in not every scientist's life is there: that one time only moment when you have a deep insight and all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fall into place and what is left afterwards is this feeling of utter joy and satisfaction. And in the case of James Watson of course also the Nobel prize.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

23. Stephen Fry - Making history

Stephen Fry explores the classical question "What would have happened to the world if Hitler would not have been born?" In this book, which is serious, hilarious, inventive and thought-provoking all at the same time, we get a possible answer to this question and it is not a nice one...

A young scientist helps an old physicist to change history by preventing Hitler from being born, but an even bigger rogue takes the place left open after this event. The problem is that this man is not as unacceptable to other nations as Hitler was, thus changing history in a way which the two had not quite imagined... So the young man has to struggle to set things right working in a society which is as grim as can be.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

24. Clive Cussler - Atlantis found

Clive Cussler has done it again. Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino save the world yet again, this time from the diabolical plans of a German Nazi family. Even though the plots of the books are getting more and more out of the ordinary, the action-packed books of the NUMA-series are still a pleasure to read if you are looking for a typical thriller to help you through your holidays. Superhero and renowned macho Dirk and his witty friend Al never have a dull moment in their lives...

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

25. Roddy Doyle - The woman who walked into doors

Paula is 39, an Irish widow with children, who sits at the table and recounts her life story. And what an ugly story it is. After an upbringing in a not very supportive family and an unsuccessful education, she meets and marries Charlo when she is still really a child. In the beginning Charlo is very charming, but you feel danger lurking in the background all the time. And then the beatings start, which rise in frequency and severity, but every time she finds a reason to forgive the man she still loves and (in her opinion) depends on. Until she sees him looking at their oldest daughter with this special, violent look...

It is book that made me want to cry for Paula when you could almost feel her bones breaking, cry out to Paula to DO something. When she finally takes her life into her own hands, a great feeling a relief washed over me. So a big compliment for Roddy Doyle.

Lees ook de recensie in Trouw

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

26. Carlo Emilio Gadda - Die gore klerezooi in de Via Merulana

Het begin is prachtig: eerst wordt in de Merelstraat in Rome, 1927 een rijke dame beroofd en een paar dagen later wordt een andere bewoonster van het pand de keel afgesneden. Hebben deze misdaden met elkaar te maken? Wie heeft ze gepleegd? Het is aan commissaris don Ciccio om dit op te lossen.

Het lijkt op het gegeven van een detective, maar het boek is geen detective. Het speurwerk van de commissaris en zijn collega's is een handvat voor de schrijver om uitgebreide beschrijvingen te geven van alles wat op hun pad komt, of het nou een medebewoner van de Merelstraat is of een bende voor een aanstormende trein wegstuivende kippen. Bovendien staat het boek stijf van de verwijzingen naar Mussolini, een niet bepaals geliefde landgenoot van Gadda, die een hele ris ingenieuze bijnamen voor hem heeft verzonnen.

Het grootste probleem voor mij was dat ik na de helft van het boek alle beschrijvingen een beetje vond sterven in schoonheid: ze zijn prachtig, helder, fantasievol en daarom verrassend, maar er zit weinig draad in het verhaal.

Kortom, mooie beschrijvingen, minder fascinerend als boek.

Lees ook de recensie in Trouw

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

27. Tracy Chevalier - Girl with a pearl earring

This is a novel about fascination: fascination with colors, fascination with painting, but above all fascination with the painter.

Griet is a young girl in Delft in the middle of the 17th century. Because her father has gone blind due to a working accident, she has to start working as a maid. She is hired by the family of Johannes Vermeer, the famous Dutch painter. From the beginning she is fascinated by the paintings, the process of the painting, but above all by Vermeer himself. Her life at the Vermeer family is not exactly easy: Vermeers wife hates her, as does one of his daughters and the senior maid sees her as a threat. Moreover, Vermeers patron, the wealthy merchant Van Ruijven has taken a more-than-modest interest in her.

Even though Griet is at times a little unrealistically virtuous and her obsession with Vermeer is irritating at times, the descriptions of a lonely, intelligent girl trying to find a place in the world and of everyday life in 17th century Holland make this book definitely worth reading.

Lees ook de recensie in de New York Times

Lees nog een recensie in de New York Times

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

28. Victor Klemperer - I will bear witness: a diary of the Nazi years 1933-1941

Victor Klemperer was a German intellectual who also happened to be a Jew. He did not give much attention to this fact until it was forced upon him when Hitler came into power.

His diaries describe the slow but sure downgrading of his life: first he is not allowed to continue his work at the university, then he cannot buy certain goods anymore such as tobacco, then he is not allowed to keep pets and so it goes on and on... And every time he and his German wife (the reason he is not transported) adapt and try to count their fewer and fewer remaining blessings.

The book is very impressive, especially because it shows what an impact relatively small decisions made by the Nazi government (not being allowed to keep pets is small compared to the Endlosung) had on everyday life and how much energy the Nazi's spent on making life as unbearable as possible for the few remaining Jews. Also impressive and heart-warming are the reactions from the "common man": even though people were terrified of the government they greeted Klemperer and gave him cigarettes.

This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in the effects that governments can have on the life of their citizens.

Lees ook de recensie in het NRC

Lees ook de recensie in de New York Times

Lees nog een recensie in de New York Times

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

29. Mary Lindemann - Medicine and society in early modern Europe

In this book Mary Lindemann describes the practice of medicine in early modern Europe (1500-1800) in its historical context, giving intriguing insights. She emphasizes that until recently this period was seen by medical history scientists as a dark period, in which no medical cure whatsoever was available. Also the advent of medicine was often described as a success story of ingenious, white-coated, university-educated doctors.

In this book, part of the series New Approaches to European History, she takes a look at the practice in this period through the eyes of a modern historian. She puts the developments into a wider perspective including other developments in the society. This leads to some revealing insights.

It may be true that there were not a lot of university-educated doctors around, especially in the countryside, but the place was literaaly swarming with other health providers, such as surgeons, barber-surgeons, apothecaries, midwives and many more people who ofter were quite well educated through a system of guilds. Also, there were quite a lot of public and private initiatives to prevent or counteract outbreaks, give support to the poor and needy and to regulate health and medical practice-related matters.

What remains is the impression that medicine in early modern Europe was less primitive than we often think (some supposedly very modern concepts such as an essential drugs list for apothecaries were already in place in the 17th century), even though there was often no cure available, and that the medical practice was on the one hand solidly anchored in a historical tradition and on the other hand developing rapidly.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

30. John H. Dirckx - Stedman's concise medical dictionary for the health professions

This concise medical dictionary is not concise at all: it gives all the information one needs, accompanied by very clear and informative drawings and pictures and it even gives the reader the correct pronunciation of the word. The alphabet tags on the side of the book (they give the first two letters of the words on that page rather than only the first letter) are a major help for a quick reference.

I am "only" a biomedical scientist and not an M.D., but this book is very important in my daily work to understand all those sometimes hopelessly complicated medical terms that I encounter in articles and correspondence. I can imagine that this book can also be very useful for M.D.s en medical students to look up the terms they do not encounter every day.

Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies

Voor reacties (anti-spam: verwijder XX uit adres)

Door naar de volgende 30 boekrecensies Terug naar de lijst met boekrecensies