Designed for students learning about viruses for the first time(t the undergraduate or graduate level), Fundamentals of Molecular Virology is presented in a style which relates to today's students and professors. The text approaches learning about virology by presenting a set of chapters each of which covers a specific virus family, using one or two well-studied viruses as examples. Each chapter is designed to tell a story about the virus under discussion, and to portray the "personality" of that virus. The text incorporates lessons from classic and contemporary concepts providing a well-rounded presentation on the subject of virology.

FEATURES OF FUNDAMENTALS OF MOLECULAR VIROLOGY
* Unique, Applied Chapter Stories. Each chapter presents a unique example or case to help introduce the students to the different viruses that will be studied or examined in that chapter.
* Evolutionary Boxes. Feature exciting and current developments in molecular virology. These are integrated throughout the entire book and can be found in every chapter. These help students understand the importance of currency and application of virology.
* Comprehensive, Illustrative Art Program. The text contains a number of two-color figures which focus on the individual steps in virus replication and helps draw student's attention to important concepts and details.
* Coverage of Human Pathogens. Includes chapters that cover important human pathogens such as smallpox virus, measles virus, poliovirus, herpes viruses, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, Ebola virus, SARS corona virus, West Nile virus, and others.

What instructors are saying about Fundamentals of Molecular Virology

"I like the structured treatment that is presented in Acheson. Overall, it is one of the best written and clearly organized texts on the subject I have seen." - Jeannine Williams, College of Marin

"I found the text very readable and believe it will appeal to a wide audience of students...I believe this text will have broad appeal in a field where few texts exist." - Michael Roner, The University of Texas at Arlington

"The main strength of the book is the great molecular detail the author achieves, but still at a level that an undergraduate student should be able to master. I like the blend of molecular with medical; this has been lacking in most virology books that I have considered using." - Darlene Walro, Walsh University

Customer Rating:
Summary: ACE!
Comment: This book is perfect for the beginning/moderate virology student- concise but detailed reviews of many viruses. I highly recommend it for supplementary aid.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Introduction to Virology
Comment: Fundamentals of Molecular Virology is by far one of the most readable scientific textbooks I have ever come across. The focus is on common characteristics of virus families rather than on individuals. For example, rather than having a chapter just covering the rabies virus this book has a chapter on the Rhabdovirus family and covers the mechanisms that each of the commonly studied rhabdoviruses use for each of the viral life cycle stages.

The book is also organized into orders, each of the viral orders will have their families grouped together. The rhabdovirus chapter is right next to the paramyxoviridae and filoviridae viruses to make up the mononegavirales order.

The writing is clear and concise. The style of writing is geared towards an audience with no previous virology experience and gently guides the reader through the basics of virology. Some attention is given to laboratory procedure but the book was not written as a lab manual and so it only provides a brief overview of some of the common techniques.

The biggest weakness of the book is in graphic illustration. Many of the illustrations are bland and monochromatic - there is very little use of color for a textbook this expensive.

If you are taking a virology or microbiology course I would strongly recommend that you get a copy of this book as a reference regardless of what textbook your instructor uses.

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