Population genetics is one of those subjects that becomes clearer only through repeated return. Students often need time to connect notation, population-genetic models, genomic evidence, and biological meaning. That is why a book like Molecular Population Genetics can function as more than a one-course requirement. For ISBN 9780878939657, the real question is whether you want the cheapest access available or a copy strong enough to keep as a long-term genetics reference.

If you only need the buying answer

The current new print listing at $96.16 is actually below the sampled used-market floor at $103.21 and far below the clean new-print market at $221.84 to $285.71. That makes this an unusually strong print-ownership case. If you want the cheapest clean route in the visible market, print already wins.

Price comparison

Store	Format	Condition	Price	Link
Merybook	Paperback	New	$96.16	Check price
AbeBooks	Paperback	Used	$103.21	Check used market
eBay	Paperback	Brand new	$221.84	Check new market
AbeBooks	Paperback	New	$285.71	Check new market

What this price means in practice

This is not a subtle decision. The current print listing is already better than the visible used route and dramatically better than the clean new-book market. When that happens, the ownership question becomes easy. If you need the book at all, the current print route is the strongest value in the visible market.

That matters because population genetics is exactly the sort of subject where students benefit from keeping a stable reference rather than relying on memory alone. If you will continue in genetics, genomics, evolutionary biology, or population-biology work, print ownership makes a great deal of sense.

What this book actually teaches

Molecular Population Genetics brings together the logic of allele-frequency change, population structure, molecular data, and evolutionary inference. The subject is mathematically structured, but the real intellectual work lies in learning how models and biological interpretation fit together. A good book here helps readers move from notation to meaning rather than treating the equations as isolated machinery.

That is exactly why the book is worth keeping when priced well. Students often need to revisit population-genetic reasoning more than once before it feels natural, and later work in genomics or evolutionary biology often assumes the conceptual frame is still available.

Who should buy print

Buy print if you are actually taking the course or expect to keep using molecular and population-genetic reasoning later. In this snapshot, print is the clean value winner.

I would only skip the current listing if you do not need the book at all. In the visible market, there is no better clean price route.

Sources checked

Sources checked: Merybook listing search for ISBN 9780878939657, AbeBooks marketplace pricing, and eBay new-print pricing. Pricing reviewed April 19, 2026.