Marieb vs. Tortora A&P Texts

cn2007rn · Apr 5, 2005

I am currently taking A and P 2 and have used the Tortora book since I started A and P 1, it's a good book. For my classes it has been pretty easy to understand, the diagrams and charts are very helpful. Dr. Tortora actually teachers at my school, no wondering we are using his text!

Maybe you could try to get a used version on ebay or ecampus.com or barnes and noble.com.

The $189 is for the brand new text, with a bunch of CD's, charts, review guide, and picture books. The extra's aren't really very helpful, but if you can get a used one cheap I would recommend it!

Good Luck! :)

SusanJean · Apr 5, 2005

I'm currently taking A&P I online and am using the Marieb text. Someone had said that the Marieb text was harder to read than the Tortora book. I would like some opinions on this. I find the Marieb book extremely hard to read. I'm wondering if I should seek an A&P II class that uses the Tortora book, but I don't want to buy an extra $189 book unless there's a real benefit. Opinions?

Tortora is probably overall the best - IMO. While none of my classes used this, it was recommended by a long time prof and that is what I bought. I am still using as a reference for a number of classes (and have over a number of semesters.)

Generally the newest version is the most expensive, and is only slightly different than the previous version (a typo corrected or something updated.) I'm not sure what version I'm using but it is serving me well... have had it 3 or 4 yrs, bought it used. Any updating I need I go to the internet.

SJ

PS - I should add we have a collection of A/P books around the house since dh teaches phys. Tortora is the one we both go back to as the best overall reference.

fotografe · Apr 5, 2005

I took A & P online that used the Hole's text. I already had the Marieb. Hole's is written in much simpler language. I would read the Hole's first, then read the Marieb, which is more in depth. You might try buying the Tortora text used ( or in an earler edition) which might be better than switching schools.

Try www.allbookstores.com

maliat · Apr 6, 2005

We use Tortora in our class. Honestly, I stopped reading it after the first couple of chapters. I find it makes what seems simple in class, confusing. I just look at the figures, tables and the sections our instructor tells us to. But it does help that we get good notes from the lecture. Do really like the website and CDs that come with the textbook. Good for review.

land64shark · Apr 6, 2005

So the consensus seems to be to ditch the Marieb and go for the Tortora. I always try and buy used, but the school's bookstore didn't have any used of that text. Stupid me chose my A&P I class section because of the availability of a used Marieb book (something like $105). I should have known something was amiss when I saw that the vast majority of other instructors use the Tortora.

smile123 · Apr 6, 2005

So the consensus seems to be to ditch the Marieb and go for the Tortora. I always try and buy used, but the school's bookstore didn't have any used of that text. Stupid me chose my A&P I class section because of the availability of a used Marieb book (something like $105). I should have known something was amiss when I saw that the vast majority of other instructors use the Tortora.

I used the Tortora book for A&P I and II in N. California. I liked it alot. It came with an interactive CD which I found marginally useful. But the real advantages were the online web quizzes, flashcards and tests. I found these three ways of reviewing the material were very helpful. Then when I had my profs' exams, I had already reviewed the material in 3 different ways that could hold my interest. (Oh yes, I also did the problems in at the end of the each chapter and the "Did you understand" sections in each chapter.) The book also came with some nice diagrams of the skeletal structures.

A word of advice: In A&P do not fall behind. Spend the time to understand the relationship of the different body systems to each other. Write out and memorize all the bones, muscles and nervous system. I would make up little memory tricks to memorize the order, origin, insertion, etc. It's not difficult but it takes time to ingrain it into your memory. I'm a very visual person, so writing things down on paper and then saying them aloud helped me memorize. Good luck!

Smile123

AintNoStoppingMeNow · Aug 20, 2010

I have the newest edition of the Tortora book, but my professor uses Marieb 8th edition. I found the Marieb 6th edition at a used book store. Being that I have both books (and an older version of Saladin as well), do you think this will suffice. I plan to use the Tortora to study but Marieb for anything specific to the book.

Anyone have any opinions on the two?

Anne36, LPN · Aug 20, 2010

I have the Marieb 8th edition and have a Tortura Microbiology book. I dont know what to say, depending on the depth your instructor goes into the Marieb book can be hard to read. I found the Microbiology book a lot easier to understand, but it could have been the material as well.

dandk1997RN, MSN, RN · Aug 20, 2010

If you go to alibris.com, you can almost definitely get a very cheap previous edition of the Tortora text. I paid about $10 in total for my A&P text and lab manual. Do a search for alibris coupons beforehand and get at least $1 off (usually $1 off any order, $2 off $20, $3 off $30, etc.) I didn't use Tortora for A&P, though- I used Marieb and supplemented with an older Martini book and some other book (can't remember the author.) I also used a lot of online resources, b/c my class was an online lecture with in-class lab, and it was a challenge.

FWIW, I hated the Tortora micro book. I don't think it was set up well. That being said, I got a 90 in A&P II using Marieb, but 101 in Micro using Tortora, so maybe overall, Tortora's style is more readable/understandable. Buy a cheap older version and then you can just stay in the class you are in and supplement your learning with the Marieb.