Book excerpt: This is the second edition of a well received textbook which was originally published in 1993. The new edition includes major revisions in certain chapters, and integrates the interface between science and medicine more than it did previously. There is also more discussion on clinically important conditions. The bright, bold format, from the first edition has been kept, but has been given a more sophisticated and up-to-date look. Virology, perhaps more than any other discipline, playsan extremely important role in the advances of biomedical research. New discoveries are continually being made, and their subsequent application to the relief of suffering proceed at an ever-increasing pace. Virology is important not only in the study of infections and their treatment and prevention, but also in the unravelling of the most fundamental aspects of biology. This is because viruses have an intimate relationship with the basic machinery of their host cells. Thus, research on how viruses reproduce themselves and spread has given us many insights into the way in which the cells of our bodies function, leading in turn to a better understanding of the whole organism and of how infective diseases may be prevented or cured. The speed of advance in this area has increased the difficulties encountered by students and teachers in absorbing and imparting important information as effectively as possible. It is important that the students are provided with enough information notjust to pass examinations but also to provide a foundation of knowledge adequate for subsequent professional practice. It is equally important that this information is presented in an attractive assimilated manner. In this book Leslie Collier and John Oxford present a delightfully written account of basic and clinical virology that meets both of these requirements. Richly illustrated with around 130 line drawings and photographs , Human virology provides a complete review of this rapidly expanding field of biology for medical, dental, and microbiology students. Leslie Collier is as freelance medical editor and writer and was formerly Professor of Virology at the Royal London Hospital. John Oxford is the current holder of this position. Reviews of the first edition 'Collier and Oxford are to be congratulated on producing a textbook for undergraduates which is refreshing in its ability to make the subject interesting and clinically relevant in a format that is both easy and enjoyable to read.' British Journal of Hospital Medicine 'excellent student text which combines scholarship with easy to remember diagrams and memory aides.' Aslib Book Guide 'The book is very well illustrated and the only adjective for the many electronmicrographs is "superb".' J Med Microbiol 'It is a pleasure to recommend Human Virology as a textbook for basic clinical virology.' International Antiviral News