The time seems ripe for a critical compendium of that segment of the
biological universe we call viruses. Virology, as a science, having
passed only recently through its descriptive phase of naming and num-
hering, has probably reached that stage at which relatively few
new-truly new-viruses will be discovered. Triggered by the in-
tellectual probes and techniques of molecular biology, genetics,
biochemical cytology, and high-resolution microscopy and spectroscopy,
the field has experienced a genuine information explo- sion. Few serious
attempts have 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. In this way, we hope to
place the entire field in perspective, and to develop an in- valuable
reference a-nd 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.