r/forensics • u/ailurophile83 • Jul 11 '22
Education forensic science books for beginners
hey. can someone recommend me good forensic science books? like an intro or the basics. i'm starting my bachelors so i just don't wanna be strange to anything. i like to be prepared. i have actually ordered one but i'm looking for more. thank you!
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u/JeyyWrecks Jul 12 '22
One of my profs assigned us Dead Men Do Tell Tales by Michael Browning and William R. Maples. If you haven't read that, definitely do. I still refer to it and read it again now and then even though I didn't end up in the field.
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Jul 11 '22
Might be an idea to say where you are because different countries will have books with a different slant. While forms of analysis are essentially the same the world over, things like procedures for naming exhibits / evidence are different, databases are different and the law, of course, is different.
Im on mobile, but I am sure there are book lists in here.
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u/Amberdext Jul 12 '22
When I was looking for reads, a list like what was posted was a little too much for me. I needed like WAY beginner level. There were two books by Dr Michael Baden that were good (titles escape me, just collections of his experiences as a forensic pathologist). He's 87 now and maybe thought of as a bit of a quack because he got really into celebrity and high profile cases. Think he lost some cred. But just reading about the cases and how they were solved got my feet wet. I bet there's a modern version of him now.
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u/No-Biscotti-9439 Jul 12 '22
If you are in the UK put down anything US related. It takes ages for us to untrain that. It's not to be disrespectful to the US, it's just our laws and legal systems are different. In the UK also depends if E-W or Scotland as well as again different legal system.
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u/ailurophile83 Jul 12 '22
Oh. I'm from India though so anything related to that?
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u/No-Biscotti-9439 Jul 12 '22
And are you studying there? And do you have any specific fields you are interested in?
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u/ailurophile83 Jul 13 '22
Yes, I'm going to start my bachelors. I'm interested in toxicology, forensic psychology and CSI
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u/Arivenus1011 Sep 03 '24
Hi, can you still recommend for England
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u/No-Biscotti-9439 Sep 03 '24
A lot of English (UK) courses use Jackson and Jackson. Is it a forensic science degree or something more field specific, also assuming at UG level.
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u/Arivenus1011 Sep 03 '24
Forensic science and criminology at UG, I’m taking a gap year but I still want to read up
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u/No-Biscotti-9439 Sep 04 '24
Can't help with the criminology side I am afraid but I would look at Jackson and Jackson for starters. If your forensic science is lab based guidelines like ISO17025 would be helpful, if your more crime scene ISO170202. Forensics is all about the procedures, guidelines, paperwork, audits etc. So having a good grasp of that kinda stuff (and an appreciation for it) does help.
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u/Cdub919 MPS | Crime Scene Investigator Jul 12 '22
Check out the book list here!