The Living World is often considered a student favorite. George Johnson has written this non-majors textbook from the ground up to be an engaging and accessible learning tool with an emphasis on "how things work and why things happen the way they do" . The Living World focuses on concepts rather than terminology and technical information, and features a straightforward, clear writing style and a wide variety of media assets to enhance the content of the textbook. The integration of text and the digital world is now complete with McGraw-Hill's ConnectPlus, LearnSmart, and SmartBook. Users who purchase ConnectPlus receive access to the full online ebook version of the textbook.

Unit 1 The Study of Life
Unit 2 The Living Cell
Unit 3 The Continuity of Life
Unit 4 The Evolution and Diversity of Life
Unit 5 Evolution of Animals
Unit 6 Animal Life
Unit 7 Plant Life
Unit 8 The Living Environment