The Viruses. Biochemical, Biological, and Biophysical Properties. Vol. 1. General Virology; Vol. 2, Plant and Bacterial Viruses; Vol. 3, Animal Viruses

New York: Academic Press, Inc., 1959. First edition.

1959 COMPLETE IN 3 VOLUMES: THE DEFINITIVE 20TH CENTURY TREATISE ON VIRAL BIOLOGY PUBLISHED 6 YEARS AFTER THE DISCOVERY OF DNA, EDITED BY TWO NOBEL LAUREATES.

Three hardcover volumes 9 1/4 inches tall, publisher's blue cloth binding, gilt title to spines, Vol. I, xvi, 609; Vol. II, xvi, 408; Vol. III, xvii, 428. fine in very good+ dust jackets.

FRANK MACFARLANE BURNET (1899 - 1985) was an Australian virologist best known for his contributions to immunology. He won a Nobel Prize in 1960 for predicting acquired immune tolerance and was best known for developing the theory of clonal selection. Burnet's major achievements in microbiology included discovering the causative agents of Q-fever and psittacosis; developing assays for the isolation, culture and detection of influenza virus; describing the recombination of influenza strains; demonstrating that the myxomatosis virus does not cause disease in humans. Modern methods for producing influenza vaccines are still based on Burnet's work improving virus growing processes in hen's eggs.

WENDELL MEREDITH STANLEY (1904 - 1971) studied at the University of Illinois, gaining an MS in science in 1927 followed by a Ph.D. in chemistry two years later. As a member of National Research Council he moved temporarily for academic work with Heinrich Wieland in Munich before he returned to the States in 1931. On return he was approved as an assistant at The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. He remained with the Institute until 1948, becoming an Associate Member in 1937, and a Member in 1940. In 1948, he became Professor of Biochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and built the Virus Laboratory and a free-standing Department of Biochemistry building, which is now called Stanley Hall. His researches on the virus causing the mosaic disease in tobacco plants led to the isolation of a nucleoprotein which displayed tobacco mosaic virus activity. Stanley was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 1946.