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Books for Anatomy, Histology and Embryology
This is one subject at Semmelweis Medical University, but is treated as three separate parts.
Take a look at my article on the two Departments of Anatomy at the University.
This subject is not one that you should save your money on. You can get away with skimping out on a Biophysics book, but you should make sure you have good books for Anatomy.
So, this large subject will also be viewed as three separate subjects when looking for books:
Gross anatomy - atlas
First of all: You need a good atlas (book with pictures and names of anatomical structures)
My favorite is Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy.
A note for Norwegian students:
The anatomy nomenclature in Norway is closer to the Latin-based Sobotta books, rather than the anglicized Latin found in Netter.
Sobotta comes in two volumes and is more comprehensive than Netter (but only noticable on the neuroanatomy).
It is fairly easy to find all these books in bookstores in Budapest, although Netter is in great demand and sells out fast.
If you have the chance to look at any of these books in person, do so!
The choice of atlas is not a make-or-break decision. Whether you choose Netter or Sobotta you will have what you need to succeed. It is very dependent on personal preference. Therefore: Flip through the books if you can!
The third book I would like to mention is very unique, the Rohen, Yokochi, and Lütjen-Drecoll: Color Atlas of Anatomy . This book is just amazing! Since Netter's is in such high demand, this book is actually cheaper than Netter's. A gem! As you can see, this book contains pictures of actual specimen, such as the ones you will be viewing in the anatomy practice room (the ones in the book are perfect, which is more than one can say about some of the "student handled" specimens in the practice room).
Personally I have both Netter's and Rohen/Yokochi, and they worked great together!
Gross anatomy - textbook
In addition to the atlas you also need a clinical textbook, which explains everything found in the atlas and discussed during practice/lecture (things like where the muscle originates from and inserts to, what the function is, nerves and vessels etc.)
One of the best books in this category is Moore, Dalley: Clinically Oriented Anatomy
Gross anatomy - additional recommendations
Get the Netter Anatomical Flash Cards. These are great for review or to just keep in your backpack and study them while you're waiting for the bus or tram.
Click on the picture to see the content of the box
Also, you should definetly get the Thieme series (three books in anatomy): Locomotor System, Nervous System, and Internal Organs.
These books are small pocket books. Great to bring with you to anatomy lab!
Histology
This is anatomy at the microscopic level.
First of all, you need to buy the Department Manual. It has pictures of the slides and good explanations.
If you want to save money: Get the Department Manual and pay attention in class! If you can make good notes and pay attention when the professor covers each slide, you don't need any textbooks covering Histology.
On the other hand, if you would like to read the theoretical part in your apartment afterwards, you should get one of these two books:
Ross: Histology - A Text and Atlas or Wheater's Functional Histology.
I strongly suggest that you get a good histology book. My personal favorite is Ross: Histology - A Text and Atlas.
Embryology
The study of the developing human, from sperm/egg to newborn.
There are many good embryology books out there and the students don't seem to have a particular favorite. Although, two books seem to be the most popular ones, Bryce M. Carlson: Human Embryology & Developmental Biology and Moore, Persaud: The Developing Human .
However, my favorite is Langman's Medical Embryology.
All three books cover the same material, so just get one of them! If you can look through them in a bookstore, do so and figure out which one suits you (look at the drawings, diagrams etc).
You will also cover embryology in Biology, so the book you get for Anatomy can be used for Biology.