The Best Textbooks for Medical School

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The Resources for Medical Schools series is a compilation of the most useful resources for studying medicine. To see the other articles, click on the links below:

a “minimalist” approach to the use of textbooks

Surprisingly, textbooks are usually not a strict requirement for medical school, except for select chapters or readings that your professor will set for a specific module. This is because we learn most of our content from reading materials. these slides or lecture notes will be tailored to your school’s curriculum and teaching sequence.

You are reading: Medical books for students

However, textbooks are excellent reference materials. With their believable content and amazing diagrams, they can be useful additions to our learning. the problem is that there are a wide variety of options to choose from and different opinions about which one is “the best”.

You can certainly try to get your hands on them all. but ultimately it is good to have only one main textbook to refer to for each subject area. of course you can always have helpers for further reference if needed. but by having only one access text, it helps clarify your thought process. you won’t waste time going from one text to another, trying to decide which one is the best, especially when you just need a quick reference.

Having a “minimalist” or “efficient” approach to using textbooks also ensures that you actually read or reference some of them. if you become obsessed with amassing a lot of resources, chances are most of them will remain untouched.

how this list was selected

This list of the best textbooks for medical students was selected after consulting hundreds of resources and opinions, ranging from medical school book lists to articles, reviews, student forums, and medical student experiences. .

A major textbook is listed for each broad subject area (eg, anatomy, physiology). Of course, what is “best” can be subjective, so alternatives have been included for your consideration. some better ones stand out as “popular alternatives”. the rest are really just “options”, which you don’t need to consider if you want a dilemma-free textbook selection process.

(note: clinical skills and clinical medicine textbooks are not included in this list).

the best medical textbooks by subject area

anatomy: gray’s anatomy for students

Grey’s Anatomy for Students is the student version of Grey’s Anatomy, which remains the complete and definitive reference on human anatomy. the illustrations are great and it’s easy to read. many medical students have this as their reference text for anatomy. Like all other options below, the text is organized by region (not body system).

popular alternative: moore’s clinically oriented anatomy

Moore’s Clinically Oriented Anatomy is also immensely popular with medical students. it is on par with gray’s in terms of illustrations and readability. some would argue that gray’s illustrations are better or that the text offers more clarity; these are personal preferences. others like Moore’s for “clinical blue boxes”, but Gray’s also has boxes “in the clinic”, which relate anatomy to its clinical meaning. there are probably pieces of content in one that may not be in the other, but both offer very comprehensive coverage of the topic.

other anatomy textbooks

clinical anatomy of snell: the illustrations are definitely not that pretty. you’d be better off choosing between gray’s and moore’s.
brs gross anatomy: part of the board review series, widely used by medical students studying for step 1 of usmle. good for high performance notes and usmle style practice questions, but not a complete textbook. – can be more user oriented

anatomy (atlas): netter atlas of human anatomy

Netter’s Human Anatomy Atlas has simply the best anatomical diagrams. Labeled illustrations have vibrant colors with exquisite detail. while there are other options, netter is preferred by most.

other anatomy atlases

thieme’s anatomy atlas: includes brief explanations and tables (whereas netter’s is just full page diagrams). Images have less of a hand-painted feel (more like Grey’s style).
Grey’s Anatomy Atlas – The Grey’s Anatomy Atlas version. The style of the images is similar to that seen in Grey’s textbook. not recommended as much as an atlas.
sobotta anatomy atlas: includes legends for each figure. art style is more like netter’s.
photographic atlas of anatomy (rohen): full-color photographs of actual cadaver dissections. not bad for looking at real specimens, but good to combine with a full set of standard illustrations like netter’s.
grant’s dissector: step-by-step human cadaver dissection procedures step . (Not normally required, probably only if used by your school.)

embryology: langman’s medical embryology

Langman’s Medical Embryology is the reference book in this field, with its comprehensive material and beautiful illustrations. covers everything you need to know (usually more). very useful, it is divided into two parts: general embryology and systems-based embryology. “Clinical Correlations” boxes highlight clinical relevance.

popular alternative: moore’s developing human: clinically oriented embryology

while langman is most often cited as the go-to embryology text, moore, the developing human being comes a very, very close second. Like Langman, the early chapters cover the stages of embryonic development, and the later chapters dive into each organ system. Again, similar to Langman’s, the content of the box highlights birth defects: clinical importance.

This was the hardest pick on the list. Moore’s diagrams are amazing and some may be superior to Langman’s. my suggestion is to focus less on the text, good to go with either (or none, i.e. use your lecture materials) and use a mix of langman and moore diagrams (these will likely also appear on your lecture slides ).

other embryology textbooks

Larsen’s human embryology: another very good alternative to that of Langman and Moore, with all the characteristics described above. diagrams are great! that’s why she uses her school reading materials (or google images) to get the best of all worlds.
brs embryology: part of the series of board review, widely used by us medical students studying for usmle step 1. good for high performance notes and usmle style practice questions, but not a complete textbook. – can be more user-oriented
high-throughput embryology: part of the high-throughput series, extracting the most important information and presenting a concentrated and efficient review of the material from embryology tested in step 1 of usmle. graphics are not colored. go with brs embryology for high performance notes. – can be more user oriented

histology: basic junqueira histology

With its high-quality, full-color micrographs and accompanying graphics, the junqueira basic histology is praised for its near-perfect blend of text and images. covers everything, going first to broad tissue types, then to organ system-specific histology.

popular alternative: Wheater’s functional histology

Although Junqueira is often recommended as the best option, Wheater’s functional histology is just as good. it is organized in a similar way, encompassing the cell, basic tissue types, and organ systems. One advantage is that the text is a bit more concise compared to Junqueira’s.

other histology textbooks

histology: a text and an atlas (ross): a good alternative to Junqueira’s and Wheater’s, with a similar content organization.
color atlas and histology text (gartner): another good alternative to those of junqueira and wheater, with a similar content organization.
brs cell biology and histology: part of the board review series, widely used by american medical students studying for usmle step 1. good for high performance notes and usmle style practice questions, but not a complete textbook. – can be more user oriented

physiology: costanzo physiology

costanzo’s physiology is a gem. it has just the right level of depth required for preclinical medical students. Well-designed figures and tables provide helpful images and make complex principles easy to understand. the text is legible and clear.

popular alternative: guyton and hall medical physiology textbook

while guyton and hall’s medical physiology textbook is known as the bible of physiology, the content is too dense in places and not as readable as costanzo’s. maybe good for reference, but otherwise costanzo wins hands down.

other physiology textbooks

ganong’s medical physiology review: an alternative to costanzo’s, although costanzo’s is still the best overall. since it is a review, it is less dense than guyton and hall.
brs physiology: part of the board review series, widely used by medical students who we study for usmle step 1 good for high performance notes and usmle style practice questions but not a complete textbook. – can be more user oriented

pathology: robbins basic pathology

Without a doubt, robbins basic pathology is the best textbook on the subject. you don’t have to read the robbins & more dense; cotran pathological basis of the disease (also known as big robbins). you can check the “shorter” versions, in descending order of depth:

robbins and cotran pathology review
robbins essential pathology
pocket companion to robbins & cotran pathological basis of the disease

however, as a textbook robbins basic pathology is the one that offers the right amount of depth and should be your go to.

other pathology textbooks

rapid review pathology (goljan): preferred by medical students studying for step 1, step 2 or usmle course exams. good for high performance notes and review of usmle courses, but not a complete textbook. – may be more usmle oriented
fundamentals of pathology (patoma): preferred by medical students studying for usmle step 1. good for high performance notes and usmle course review, but not a full textbook. – may be more usmle oriented
brs pathology: part of the board review series, widely used by medical students studying for usmle step 1 . good for high performance notes and usmle-style practice questions, but not a complete textbook. – can be more user oriented

microbiology: lange review of medical microbiology and immunology

For microbiology, it’s best to look for review books, as the level of detail will be too high in the thicker volumes. the medical microbiology and immunology review is succinct and high-throughput, without compromising readability. the content is very well organized and covers bacteriology, virology, mycology, parasitology, immunology, ectoparasites, and infectious diseases. tables and summaries are especially useful.

other microbiology textbooks

lippincott’s illustrated reviews: microbiology: similar to lange’s review; a good level of depth for medical school.
mims medical microbiology and immunology: a very complete text with good images. downside is probably too much detail.
prescott’s microbiology: similar to mims; unnecessarily comprehensive and in-depth for most medical school purposes.
sherris medical microbiology: detailed text covering all aspects of medical microbiology; too deep at this stage.
Diagnostic Microbiology Textbook (Mahon): Best suited for practicing microbiologists.
bailey & scott’s diagnostic microbiology: similar to mahon’s; not really required for preclinical medical students.
clinical microbiology made ridiculously simple (gladwin) – touted as a classic by us medical students. The book breaks the content into digestible chunks, with silly pictures to aid memorization. may not be the best if you are looking for a traditional reference textbook.

immunology: janeway’s immunobiology

janeway’s immunobiology the classic textbook of immunology. it is comprehensive and is best used for its informative illustrations and tables. As with most of the other full-size textbooks on this list, some parts contain more detail than necessary.

popular alternative: kuby immunology

kuby’s immunology rivals that of janeway. its graphics are excellent, and some can even beat janeway’s. the biggest advantage is that it’s more concise than janeway’s, but it’s still a very comprehensive textbook.

other immunology textbooks

Fundamentals of Clinical Immunology: This textbook has a clinical focus and is simple but comprehensive. diagrams are nice but less so than janeway’s or kuby.
the immune system (parham): similar to kuby as a condensed alternative to janeway’s, but considerably shorter and more concise. may not be the reference book some would prefer.
How the Immune System Works (sompayrac) – Cuts through the jargon to give readers a clear and engaging understanding of the topic . good for understanding immunology concepts, but not a complete reference textbook.
brs microbiology and immunology: part of the board review series, widely used by Medical students studying for USMLE Step 1. Good for high-yield notes and USMLE-style practice questions, but not a full textbook. – can be more user oriented

make it a dilemma-free process

A lot of textbooks are great, and sometimes when choosing between two options, it’s really give and take. looking for more reviews is useless. save yourself the dilemma, pick a main one and stick with it. google and google images the rest (if that’s not the first place you go). if you just follow the list above, without even considering the alternatives, you’ll be good to go.

For the most part, though, you won’t even have time to master all of the content in your class materials. therefore, except for the required readings stated in specific modules, take the textbooks only as additional reference material, consulted only when necessary. There are much more efficient and effective ways to study medicine than reading a textbook from cover to cover.

Feel free to share your favorite textbooks too, especially if they’re not listed above! just leave a comment below. Don’t forget to also check out the other articles in the resources for medical schools series. (Disclaimer: There are no affiliate links on this page. All embedded links lead directly to the publisher’s page, where you can see the table of contents and other details for each book.)

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The Best Textbooks for Medical School – The Lowkey Medic