When I write Biology I always feel that I am speaking directly to you, the reader. This, no doubt, occurs because I taught biology before I began to write about it. During those years I began to develop techniques for making science-shy students successful in their study of biology. The first edition of Biology had a learning system that has continued to improve through feedback from both students and instructors. The end result is the seventh edition you hold in your hands. The major topics in Biology are now numbered. This allows instructors to assign just certain portions of the chapter and permits study in terms of the concepts listed in the chapter outline. With the advent of the computer it became possible to page the text so that each illustration is on the same or facing page as their reference. The illustrations, too, have continued to improve; the use of color coding and icons allow you to better relate one illustration to another.