See that huge biochem textbook twice the size of your own head sitting there on the shelf in the Radcliffe? Is it really worth lugging it back through the centre of Oxford with English students sniggering at you behind your back because War & Peace is the biggest book they’ll ever have to carry back to college?

Medical biochemistry – J Baynes and M Dominiczak ( London)
Many medics find biochemistry their toughest subject. This book has lots of well thought-out diagrams and sections at the end of each topic devoted to clinical examples so you can get your head round it all.

Pharmacology – H Rang and M Dale (Churchill Livingstone)
The book on pharmacology, this covers all of the basic principles on drug types, targeting and action as well as more specific topics related to drugs affecting different systems.

A Review of Medical Physiology – W Ganong (Lange)
Into its 22th (or maybe 23rd!) edition, this book has been relied upon, in its various forms, by generations of medics. It is comprehensive, not overly detailed, and covers much of the scientific evidence behind physiological theory.

Human Embryology – W Larsen (Churchill Livingstone)
The only book you’ll need for embryology, it takes you chronologically through the subject and contains many helpful diagrams to explain the sometimes-complicated spatial development of the embryo.

Oxford Textbook of Functional Anatomy Vol.1, 2, 3 – P McKinnon, J Morris (OUP Oxford)
Written by the director of pre-clinical studies, you’ll see stuff from these detailed, well-illustrated books in lectures, online quizzes, exams… Seriously, why wouldn’t you use it?

Biochemistry – L Stryer, J Berg, J Tymoczko (W.H.Freeman & Co)
Very in-depth but clearly explained and great for impressing your tutor or your examiner with a few relevant details.

Physiology – M Levy, R Berne (Mosby)
Detailed and comprehensive, relying more on written explanation than diagrams, this book may appear to be a little baffling at first but soon you’ll turn to it whenever you didn’t quite understand something from a lecture or you want just a little more detail for an essay.

Basic Histology – L Junqueira, J Carneiro (Appleton & Lange)
The best, most colourful book for histology out there, it’s packed full of photographs to help you figure out just what exactly you’re looking at under the microscope. After the first few weeks, the smart medics bring it to every histology practical.

Oxford Handbook of Medical Sciences – R Wilkins, S Cross, I Megson, D Meredith (Oxford Handbooks)
Written by one of your lecturers, this handbook could almost be the first year syllabus in detailed easy-to-understand form and is jam-packed full of succinct diagrams to elegantly explain even the most complicated concepts. Trust us, this will be your bible come exam time.

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Don’t agree? Leave us a comment explaining why your fave book is better than ours.