6 Best Endocrinology Textbooks (2024 Review)

Endocrinology is a medical specialty that deals with the endocrine glands and their secretions. Medical students and specialty endocrinologists need up-to-date endocrinology textbooks to keep them updated on the latest advances in diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, thyroid disease, adrenal disorders, and testicular disorders among other aspects of endocrinology.

best endocrinology textbooks

Best Endocrinology Textbooks: Our Top Recommendations

The 6 best endocrinology textbooks reviewed in this guide range from the 1st to 14th edition, meaning they cover the basic science to the most advanced clinical advances in endocrinology.

What’s more, they are cheap and affordable, and come loaded with colorful images and diagrams as well as authored by teams of specialist endocrinologists. 

These six books are recommended for endocrinology students and endocrine surgeons and everyone else in between.

1. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology

 

Authored by a team of expert endocrinologists, Williams Textbook of Endocrinology in its 14th edition is the best academic resource on the subject. Covering recent advances in medications, therapies, and clinical trials among others, this endocrinology textbook address the comprehensive aspects of diabetes management, metabolic syndrome, obesity, thyroid disease, and other adrenal disorders. 

Fully illustrated and containing colorful images, it also contains specialized sections on transgender endocrinology, navigation of endocrine guidelines, and the global burden of endocrine disease as well as the physiology of insulin secretion among others. This is a must-have textbook to become a successful endocrinologist.

  • Author(s): Shlomo Melmed; Ronald Koenig; Clifford Rosen; Richard Auchus; and Allison Goldfine
  • Publisher: Elsevier  
  • Current Edition: Hardcover, 14th Edition (December, 2019) 
  • Pages: 1,792 

2. Greenspan’s Basic and Clinical Endocrinology

 

In its 10th edition, Greenspan’s Basic and Clinical Endocrinology covers the diagnosis and treatment of various endocrine disorders. This textbook can be used by medical students preparing to sit for an examination on endocrinology and internal medicine, and it serves as a reference material for disease management by expert consultants.

Containing hundreds of color images and clinical diagrams, this textbook also covers disorders of sex determination and differentiation, transgender endocrinology, clinical epidemiology, and other aspects of evidence-based endocrinology for managing endocrine patients. It is recommended for specialists who require split decision-making on endocrine pathophysiology.

  • Author(s): David Gardner and Dolores Shoback 
  • Publisher: McGraw Hill  
  • Current Edition: Paperback, 10th Edition (October, 2017) 
  • Pages: 944

3. Endocrine Pathophysiology

 

If you desire a comprehensive resource that introduces you to diseases of the endocrine system, Endocrine Pathophysiology is the book to have. It bridges the gap between basic endocrine physiology and advanced endocrine disorders. It is filled with real case studies that students and surgeons can relate to, and it adheres to the clinically-based curriculum of most medical schools on endocrine pathophysiology. 

This academic and professional resource also features the scientific and clinical principles that guide patient management, as well as the key concepts of endocrine pathophysiology to aid split-second decision-making in clinical situations. Whether you get buy the paperback edition or acquire the digital format, this textbook on endocrinology is recommended for every student and practitioner concerned with hormonal secretions and how they affect body functions. 

  • Author(s): Eric Felner and Guillermo Umpierrez
  • Publisher: LWW  
  • Current Edition: Paperback, 1st Edition (December, 2013) 
  • Pages: 464

4. Essential Endocrinology and Diabetes (Essentials)

 

This textbook of endocrinology contains the latest knowledge on diagnosing and treating endocrinology and diabetes. It also covers the clinical guidelines and therapies on clinical diabetes and obesity, next-generation sequencing technology, as well as clinical algorithms for incretin-based therapies. 

Users will also find that this book is suitable for the diagnosis, management, and interpretation of medical tests needed for treating endocrine neoplasia and all types of diabetes. It contains learning objectives for users and case histories as well as cross-referencing guides that help to comprehend specialized field of endocrinology. This is more than the essentials of endocrinology, it introduces you to advanced studies of diabetes and other related endocrine disorders.

  • Author(s): Richard Holt and Neil Hanley
  • Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell  
  • Current Edition: Paperback, 7th Edition (June, 2021) 
  • Pages: 336

5. Oxford Handbook of Endocrinology and Diabetes (Oxford Medical Handbooks)

 

If there is a textbook on endocrinology that comes highly recommended by expert consultants, it is the Oxford Handbook of Endocrinology and Diabetes. It is recommended for medical trainees and specialist nurses in endocrinology and diabetes as well as endocrine experts that require up-to-date reference materials for practical application. It can be applied to in-patients and out-patients as well as used for refresher purposes. 

In its fourth edition, this textbook covers the genetics of endocrinology, inherited endocrine syndrome, MEN, endocrinology and diabetes, as well as practical nursing considerations for clinical applications. It contains loads of color images and real photos to drive home the lessons, and the practical layout of the materials makes it a topical reference material to have and cherish.

  • Author(s): Katharine Owen; Helen Turner; and John Wass
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press  
  • Current Edition: Flexibound, 4th Edition (July, 2022) 
  • Pages: 1,104

6. Goodman’s Basic Medical Endocrinology

 

Written by a team of expert endocrinologists, Goodman’s Basic Medical Endocrinology “provides up-to-date coverage of rapidly unfolding advances in the understanding of hormones involved in regulating most aspects of bodily functions.” This textbook introduces the basics of endocrinology and prepares the user to comprehend advanced aspects of endocrine glands, their secretions, effects of hormones, diseases, and disorders of the endocrine system, and their management among others. 

Recommended for medical students, graduate students, medical researchers, and specialist practitioners, this textbook provides the aspiring clinician with the knowledge and tools required to investigate broader aspects of patient conditions. It is both introductory and advanced at the same time, and it can serve as reference material for expert practitioners and students willing to sit for examinations on endocrinology. 

  • Author(s): Elizabeth Holt; Beatrice Lupsa; Grace Lee; Hanan Bassyouni; and Harry Peery
  • Publisher: Elsevier  
  • Current Edition: Hardcover, 5th Edition (April, 2021) 
  • Pages: 552

Wrap-up

These 6 best endocrinology textbooks are available on Amazon and other reputable stores. They are cheap and affordable, and they contain concise and direct-to-the-point references that aid comprehension and memory recall. They all contain real, colorful images and pictorial representations that aid instant understanding. Purchase them today for academic use or gift them to loved ones in undergraduate or graduate schools, and you’ll have contributed to the medical success of someone.