The time seems ripe for a critical compendium of that segment of the
biological universe we call viruses. Virology, as a science, having only
recently passed through its descriptive phase of naming and num- bering,
has probably reached that stage at which relatively few new- truly
new-viruses will be discovered. Triggered by the intellectual probes and
techniq ues of molecular biology, genetics, biochemical cytology, and
high-resolution microscopy and spectroscopy, the field has experienced a
genuine information explosion. Few serious attempts have so far been
made to chronicle these events. This comprehensive series, which will
comprise some 6000 pages in a total of about 22 volumes, represents a
commitment by a large group of active investigators to analyze, digest,
and expostulate on the great mass of data relating to viruses, much of
which is now amorphous and disjointed and scattered throughout a wide
literature. I n this way, we hope to place the entire field in
perspective as well as to develop an invaluable reference and sourcebook
for researchers and students at all levels. This series is designed as a
continuum that can be entered anywhere but which also provides a logical
progression of developing facts and integrated concepts.