Larry Gonick

I reviewed the corresponding Guide to Chemistry for the Journal of Chemical Education, and that review gets as many hits as anything I have written. The Physics guide is also very amusing and also contains good science.

Actually a handy reference even for those that have studied Genetics previously. The one down-side of the text is that it's uneven in covering theory with text, vs. diagrams and metaphorical situations. Still, the book should be on every shelf as it gives you back much more you put in. And note that not all these illustrated books, even others by Gonik, have the same effectiveness.

A very readable and funny history of the Middle East, Europe and Asia from about 300 AD-1492 AD. It's a comic book, so has funny pictures, but it also goes into how religious and economic factors affected the historical timeline, and provides copious footnotes and references.

Gonick and Criddle introduce a variety of chemistry concepts - as well as related physics concepts like wave/particle duality - through cartoons. I ordered this book for use in my secondary science class. This alternative introduction to various topics in biology will likely engage students who struggle with textbooks. In addition, the text could be modified (by removing some key words to create scaffolded notes) and used as illustrated notes for students to complete during class.