Ebook: Drosophila Protocols

This book is very impressive in scope, and (as other reviewers have said) IS indispensable for any Drosophila laboratory. It is a very valuable addition to every Drosophila laboratory. The book covers virtually every area of Drosophila work. Many of the topics discussed are cutting edge, such as the chapter on RNA interference, targeted cell ablation, and biochemical preparations from Drosophila (such as soluble nuclear extracts and membrane proteins). Overall I am very pleased with the book, and glad I bought it! One section of the book I find particularly useful is the beginners guide to the Drosophila genome project. This section overviews the information available from the recently completed Drosophila genome project. It tell us what kinds of information are available about the fly genome, how this information was collected, and where we can download it from the internet (complete with internet web site addresses)!

My only criticism of the book is a criticism which applies to ALL manuals published by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: the protocols are too superficial, and not dealt with in sufficient detail to allow a novice to carry out these techniques (which is what a manual ideally SHOULD do). This has been true of all the CSHLP manuals I have seen. Conspicuously absent from the CSHL publications is a TROUBLESHOOTING section, which can be referred to if the researcher runs into problems. As we all know, there are many small (and seemingly trivial) details to any protocol which, if not carried out properly, can make or break an experiment. Some steps in a protocol are always more fastidious than others, and it is critical for us to know which steps can be done with a bucket and which steps require an eyedropper.

For my money, the best and most comprehensive manual is the CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY manual (Wiley and Sons), which is updated regularly, and has extensive troubleshooting sections attached to each protocol. (They have recently come out with a companion manual dealing exclusively with protein techniques.) Also, I highly recommend the METHODS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY series (Humana Press) for its concise protocols and supplementary troubleshooting sections. If the researcher is familiar with the techniques the troubleshooting sections need not be consulted, but if the researcher is a novice the troubleshooting sections are invaluable. Unfortunately a Drosophila manual is not available from either of these publishers, but this CSHL manual makes a good substitute. I recommend this book for all Drosophilists!