[MrMistery]

Hey Guys,

I recently won an award from my college that consists of the following thing: I get to pick a book at the college library and they will engrave it with the university seal for me. this is kind of a cool thing, so I wanna pick a good book. Does anyone have any suggestions of what to choose? I want it to be something important for science in general, and so far the only thing I could come up with was "On the Origin of species", but that is kind of old..

[kolean]

Does it have to be a book in the college library already? Or are they going to get a new book FOR the college library? Confusion on my part. . . . per as usual.

I would pick a book that was helpful in your pursuit of learning. One that you learned something new and exciting, or one that gave you a good foundation in your scientific passion endeavors. Something that will make you smile when you see it in a few years down the road: sentimental reasons.

[MrMistery]

I am sorry, i misspoke. I need to pick a book from the college Bookstore, which will be mine to keep afterwards.

The problem with picking something important for my childhood is that all those kinds of books were bought home (Romania), they don’t have them in the Harvard bookstore 🙂

[mith]

Gray’s Anatomy

[kolean]

Oh, that is a good reference book!
Maybe some reference book in your field that you have always wanted to have (but perhaps will never read all the way thru) but is so pricey and you just use the library’s copy.
Something special though.
Not pragmatic, like getting next year’s most expensive textbook (which I must admit I would be tempted to do).

[canalon]

The Bergey’s manual of bacteriology. For free, it’s a real deal 🙂

[MrMistery]

thanks for the suggestions guys. Gray’s anatomy the original edition was a good one, but unfortunately they don’t sell it at our bookstore, they only sell the modern edition, which is not as interesting to have (and I already have a couple of anatomy texts that are gathering dust in my bookshelf).

@canalon
The did have a price limit of $40 that they subsidized (after that I would have had to pay for the extra cost) so getting a really expensive book wouldn’t have been such a deal. Plus I don’t know what I could have possibly done with a manual of systematic bacteriology, as a I am cell biologist. And though I didn’t look, I honestly doubt the bookstore sells Bergey’s.

I decided on this: http://www.amazon.com/So-Simple-Beginni … 972&sr=8-1
I have never read the origin of species, and maybe this will determine me to do so (or at least skim through it). Plus I feel like that is a good classical book for every biologist to own. It is also my way of paying tribute to one of the greatest biologists of our time, E.O. Wilson, who has arguably done more for conservation than any other human being alive.

[MichaelXY]

Mr. Campbells book of course. Beautiful book. Oh and congrats on the award, your in tough company. Harvard right?

[MrMistery]

I already own Campbell 🙂
Yes, I go to Harvard

[Twila]

i cant remember the exact title but the one about the big boom and other theories by stephen hawking

that might have been the title if not sorry

[TheVirus]

I’ve read The origin of species,it is a very good book, and now there are better editions with introductions by the author telling you about Darwin’s life, his influence, and also warning you about what Darwin got wrong in the book so that you don’t study it. Plus, its got several studies and things of the sort done by Darwin himself, and has some awesome info about rare species.
And it’d also be great to have such a classic book with a university seal!

[Author]

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