The new, 3rd edition is an updated version of the best-seller earlier books. It includes about 56% more words than the 1,392-page 2nd edition of 2003. The number of illustrations increased to almost 2,000 and their quality has improved by design and four colors. Cross-references among entries are expanded. The statements are supported by references; more than 14,000 journal papers and more than 3,000 books are listed. The book includes ~1,800 current databases and web servers. Retractions and corrigenda are pointed out.
It covers the basics and the latest in genomics, proteomics, genetic engineering, small RNAs, transcription factories, chromosome territories, stem cells, genetic networks, epigenetics, prions, hereditary diseases, patents, etc. Similar integrated information is not available in textbooks or on the Internet. The journal reviews called it the best, high-quality resource for researchers, instructors and students of basic and applied biology, as well as for physicians and lawyers or even for interested laymen because of the clarity of presentation.
NATURE (Lond) 302:169. "...sections dealing with molecular genetics...are remarkably clear and up to date." "...this one is one of the best textbooks of general genetics". "The book is extremely well illustrated..."
THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS 66:38. "...a balanced treatment of almost all genetics disciplines and their important findings."
HEREDITY 33:123. "...unusually good value."
QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 74:74. "The author clearly met his goal: to facilitate communication and understanding across all biological sciences". "...this book should prove very useful as a quick desk reference for students, professionals and non-professionals."
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS 83:145. "He undauntedly covers the entire field of contemporary genetics including not only the classical areas of formal genetics and cytogenetics but also the latest global molecular advances and their applications." I found the contents very useful..."
ACTA PÆDIATRICA 87:1211. "The strength of the book lies in its brief explanations...it is invaluable for anyone interested in this rapidly evolving area, including scientists, teachers, students, and laymen."
ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE 130:168. "This book is a valuable reference tool and will be of interest to a wide audience. Other books, including glossaries and dictionaries of genetics are available but are more limited in coverage".
ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 91:894. "The preparation of a book like this is a massive task. If it is done well, it can provide a valuable central resource to information that might otherwise take a lengthy search to uncover". "In this case...the overall effort has been very successful."
HortScience 33:1274. "The book is attractive and user-friendly, beginning with the opening pages and continuing throughout." "This manual is by far the best I have used".
MUTATION RESEARCH FORUM 1999 May¾"...this book is a true information warehouse". "The words in this book came through as if someone were talking directly to me." "The investment...is worth it."
JOURNAL OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY 147:623. "This giant volume is recommended to those who are in contact with the genetic aspects of questions in their field of research or practice." ... "The most important feature of this book is that all concepts are explained not just defined"..."The style is clear even for the beginner".
ACTA AGRONOMICA HUNGARICA 47(2):237. "...although a number of dictionaries or glossaries of genetics already exist, this...is quite different from the others in-as-much as it is much more comprehensive, and not only defines the concepts but explains them in concise plain language"..."fills a void".
CHOICE 1998, 36-1563. "...outstanding compendium of genetics"..."Highly recommended for biologists".
GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS (2003; Nov/Dec): 56 "useful resource...50% more information than in the first edition".
NOVENYTERMELES (2003), 52:724. "excellent tool...I recommend it to the attention of everybody". (translated from Hungarian)
GENOMICS REVIEWS (2004, Internet). "Excellent resource".
BOOK NEWS (2004, Internet). " By authoring the work single-handedly (clearly a labor of love) Redei (emeritus, U. of Missouri) could maintain a consistency of approach and avoid redundancy and yet still attain impressive breadth and depth in a compact reference."
BOOKWORKZ (2004), Internet): "incomparable reference...thorough coverage of modern genetics, genomics, and proteomics".
E-STREAMS (2004, 7[1]:2969): "This is a highly useable item and provides effective and efficient access to relevant topics."
THE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD (2004, Internet): "...the best got even better. This book is indispensable as a reference for research universities, for high schools, for public libraries, and because of the relatively modest price (discounts available) it is affordable for individuals too."
BIOspektrum (2004), 10:653. "...it is truly wonderful"...Most students, scientists, all geneticists, including human geneticists, the general public interested in natural sciences, teachers and journalists can benefit from it to a great degree. It is a must for larger biological libraries!" (translated from German).
CLINICAL CHEMISTRY (2004, 50:1719-1720.) "...the book has an encyclopedic quality, far surpassing a dictionary." "...many readers will find themselves engrossed in this fascinating book."... "This is a wonderful book..."
PROTEOMICS (2004, 4: 544-545). "Once you start reading this book it is difficult to put down. It is a valuable source of such a breadth of information that would surely be difficult to find elsewhere." "... a highly recommended one-stop resource for medics, grad students and researchers."
GENETIC ENGINEERING NEWS (2004, 24(6), March 15). "...genomics and post-genomics terms, including concepts, theories, and applications, explained concisely for novices and comprehensive enough for those with expertise."
REFERENCE REVIEWS (2004, 18 [62004]:43-44). "excellent volume"... "is a readable, accessible, well thought out and extremely useful reference book."
MICROBE MAGAZINE (Amer. Soc. Microbiol.) May 2004: "It is impressive that a single author can put together a dictionary of this size and make it useful to the general scientific reader." "Rédei’s definitions are accurate..." "Rédei is a clear winner."
THE CHEMICAL EDUCATOR (2005, 10 (6):56-57). "Rédei has eminently succeeded in attaining his goal." "Numerous cross-references link the short entries into a most encyclopedic, up-to-date text."..."gold mine of valuable...information."
MEDICAL REFERENCE SERVICES QUARTERLY (2006, 25(1):104). "...high quality reference book..." ..."this is the most comprehensive..." In addition to genetics, genomics, and proteomics... includes biochemistry, immunology, developmental biology and molecular evolution as well as hereditary diseases."
