Tortora	Now in a 2 volume 12th edition Tortora (as it’s affectionately known as) remains a favourite for 1st years. Covering most of the anatomy and physiology you will ever encounter, this is one a lot of people buy. Personally I would try and experiment a bit more, it’s a decent book but the faculty hate it. Some of the individual anatomy and physiology books offer more and explain things clearer.
McMinn's	Either this one or one of the updated Clinical or Colour atlases are faculty favourites for anatomy learning. I haven’t seen the updated books but I found McMinn’s a tricky book for beginners. Almost all of the images are based on dissected specimens which, although very realistic, make it hard to see what’s going where. I much prefer the (slightly larger) book below.
Moore	Recently updated, this excellent anatomy book tries to make everything seem relevant by relating it to clinical practice. Whilst perhaps a bit much for 1st or even 2nd year, I wish I’d bought it early and actually got the full use out of it. One to look at!
Colo(u)ring	Not to be laughed at, this book is actually really good at making you apply anatomy – which is generally quite dull. It does require a bit of time to get it usable as a book but for something you are only slightly interested in learning (something you’ve come across but not expected to know in detail, for example) it can be useful.
Fast Track	I’ve only come across this recently but I’ve grown to like it. It presents a question and answer format for the most important and commonly encountered anatomy topics. A chapter is finished with pictures (not the best of quality) which show some of the topics. Nice and small book, perfect for the train or similar.

Physiology (Almost certainly buy one of these)

Martini	Another book which tries, quite successfully, to combine both anatomy and physiology. Personally I prefer this to Tortora but the actual differences aren’t that great. Excellent for first year but I do feel eventually splitting the topics into two books helps – so may as well start this way. Sorry, Martini.
Vander	One of my favourite physiology books – explains everything with great clarity and has almost the right amount of detail. Can be very wordy some times and there is a lot of repitition but overall it’s a firm classic that is worth considering.
Pocock	A British book that has been recently updated. I hated the old edition with its very small font but I have to give credit to the changes. Probably one of the more detailed books, always the one I’d turn to when I was getting stuck.
Ganong	I’ve not yet seen this new edition but if the previous is anything to go buy this should be good. My major complaints with the previous were all formatting related, so hopefully this new one will be an improvement. One of the two Lange books that is well liked.

Medicine (Almost certainly buy one of these)

Kumar	Classic. Now in red. Enough said.
Kumar	Alternative to K&C. Worth a look, it’s a good book.
OHCM	Great…when you’re old enough. (Avoid until at least year 3, maybe even later – it’s updated regularly.)

Histology (Maybe buy one of these)

Wheaters	Full of big pink blobs – apparently tissues. Does a good job of making histology seem a little less mundane. Doesn’t quite manage it, unfortunately (or maybe that’s just me).
Stevens	Bit more detailed than Wheaters although I don’t feel the pictures are as good. Used together (a la SL – which has loads) they do everything you need.

Pathology (Maybe [not yet?] buy one of these)

Underwood	Great book for year 1 but I do feel it kind of lacks behind after that.
Rubins	Not something you’d want to carry far (it comes in a big horrid hardcover) but is by a mile (no MILE pun intended) my favourite pathology book. Diagrams are phenomenal and the descriptions are exactly what you want.
Stevens and Lowe	An alternative that (I’m sure…) was liked be the pervious head of year 1. Worth a look!

Biochemistry (Maybe buy one of these)

Dow	Still remains the recommended biochemistry book despite being years after her departure. Don’t even think about reading it, far less buying it. Don’t even take it off the shelf in the SL – seriously, people will laugh at you.
Medical Biochemistry	This book always gives me mixed feelings. I like the detail and it explains things well, but I think it’s not very well laid out. I bought it and haven’t regretted it but do try and see if you like it first.
Clinical Biochemistry	A very succinct book (like all the ICT books) but still one which is very useful. Probably the better of the 3, although not quite to the same detail as the previous ones. All 3 have authors tied to Glasgow so the faculty like them all. Your pick.
Crash Course	I really should mention this series of books (this one being great for the homeostasis block [new number escapes me]). They cover almost every speciality of medicine both basic science and clinical, ideal for revision (and when you’re lazy).

Pharmacology (Probably not buy one of these – maybe 2nd year)

Rang and Dale	The pharmacology book in my opinion. It has considerable detail but it’s in a very readable format and the diagrams are some of the best.
Pharm at a Glance	Another series of books (like the ICT above), this – recently updated – is on the best at a Glance book. I was once told to find a smallish pharmacology book and read it cover to cover. If I was going to do that, this would be my pick. Simply brilliant.

Clinical examination (Probably not buy one of these – maybe 2nd year)

Macleods	This is much liked by most clinicians. I sold mine and got the book below. The new edition may be improved but I found it too wordy and not well laid out.
OHCE	I simply cannot give this book enough praise – it’s fantastic. None (at least at time of writing) exist in the SL, which is a shame. Buying Macleods? Look here first. And no, I’m not getting commission.

I have reached the end of all the main books I’d recommend looking at for year 1. This is buy no means an exhaustive list – there really are lots of books out there. These are the common ones though and I’d be very surprised if anyone got through (and passed) 1st year without encountering a couple of books here. Suggestions welcome and I’ll try and keep this up to date with new editions but that’s easier said than do

Wait until you know which book you need and like before buying any

I say this many times to prospective medical students, it saves both money (quite important!) and wasted space. However, being only a 1st year, I took the advice of my tutor and ran out to buy Macleod’s Clinical Examination, It’s a popular book, no doubt about that. Mention it to most medical students or doctors and they’ll generally nod approvingly. There is a new edition due out in June (on my brother’s birthday, possible present? probably not) which will no doubt be just as popular. Anyone who wants to go buy a copy would probably be best waiting until the new version. I say this not only to gain the benefits of whatever the refresh will contain but also because Student Consult becomes unusable after an update is published.

I kept my Macleod’s happy on my bookshelf for the better part of 2 years. Recently, however, I noticed something funny – I hardly used it. In fact, I was using it less than I was using a similar book from the library. Which book? This one:

Oxford Handbook of Clinical Examination and Practical Skills

It’s a great book. Instead of aimless rambling that I found prevalent in Macleod’s this book is very focused to the detail required. Don’t think this is lacking some of the basics either – each chapter begins with relevant anatomy and physiology which is a very useful summary. I have found things explained here which would take much searching in Macleod’s or that aren’t even there to begin with.

The book is part of the Oxford Handbook Series (like the cheese and onion) and will therefore be familiar to the majority of students. Being a handbook is particularly useful and means it’ll fit in most pockets without trouble.

Still, one of the best features has to be the latter part of the title. Practical skills include everything from hand washing and cannulation to pericardial aspiration and airway management. This is interesting for me but surely could be extremely useful for junior doctors. Don’t try looking for anything like this in Macleod’s, by the way.

To finish of this excellent piece of work, Thomas and Monaghan have included a chapter on interpretation – going through most of radiology, clinical chemistry and not forgetting the dreaded ECGs.

The book is relatively new (May 07) and so far seems pretty scarce. For Glasgow students there are only 2 across campus at time of writing (and none in the SL!). If you can track it down though, give it a glance and see what you think. Not all books are for everyone though, so don’t forget my original advice.

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I don’t get any commisson from this book, by the way, despite what it sounds like above. I also don’t get anything from the Amazon links.

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In the end – I sold my Macleod’s.