Bergey's Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria
First published: 17 April 2015
Online ISBN: 9781118960608| DOI: 10.1002/9781118960608
Copyright © 2015 Bergey's Manual Trust. All rights reserved.

About this reference work

Bergey's Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria (BMSAB) is a reference work aimed at undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, professors and experienced professionals at all levels. About a hundred new genera and 600+ new species have been described per year for each of the last 5 years. To remain abreast of this explosion in knowledge of the microbial world, an electronic manual with frequent updates is necessary. The BMSAB is an essential tool for anyone at the forefront of research in microbiology.

Bergey's is the most complete and authoritative description of bacterial and archaeal diversity. Now available online for the first time, this edition provides descriptions of the taxonomy, systematics, ecology, physiology and other biological properties of all described prokaryotic taxa.

This is a new, unique, single point of online reference for microbiology with over 1,750 articles – equivalent to over 8 volumes in print.

For instructions on how to navigate this new version, please click here

Digital Edition:

This digital edition will provide up-to-date descriptions of the taxonomy, systematics, ecology, physiology and other biological properties of all named prokaryotic taxa. The new manual replaces and expands upon the second edition of Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, a 5-volume set completed in 2012.

Bergey’s is recognized as the most complete and authoritative description of bacterial and archaeal diversity available. In partnership with Wiley, Bergey's Manual Trust will electronically publish its systematics manual for the first time.

For information on pricing and how to order, visit the How to Get Online Access page.

To join our mailing list for Bergey’s Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria please email [email protected] to be added to a distribution list for updates and information.


Reviews for Bergey's:

- "An essential purchase for University and Technical libraries and larger institutional departments[...] Its readership has to be all microbiologists, molecular biologists and medical and environmental researchers." MICROBIOLOGY TODAY
- "[The] standard of excellence remains unchallenged" MICROBIOLOGIST

Amazon reviews:
- ‘All microbiology major should have this book in their library’
- ‘An admirable practical approach’
- ‘This book got me through Microbiology-lab – easy to understand and thorough. Everything you could want to know about a bacterium or a species is detailed here for you’

Publishing Online from April 2015

Since its formation in 1936, Bergey's Manual Trust has provided comprehensive and authoritative descriptions of bacteria and archaea through the publication of its Manuals on determinative and systematic bacteriology. The result of a collaboration between the Trust and nearly one thousand microbiologists from all over the world, the Manuals provide extensive descriptive information of the taxonomy, systematics, physiology, ecology and habitats of individual prokaryotic groups as well as a natural classification of prokaryotes that reflects their evolutionary history.

What the Manual is depends on who is reading it. For microbiology researchers, clinicians, and other professionals, it provides detailed and authoritative descriptions of each of the prokaryotic groups prepared by experts who have first-hand experience. For biologists and other researchers from outside microbiology, it provides an introduction to the literature for specific prokaryotic groups. For students, it provides a panoramic overview of prokaryotic biology and the richness of prokaryotic life.

An explosion in the isolation and description of new taxa of prokaryotes over the past five years has resulted in the description of more than one hundred new genera and six hundred new species per year. This rapid pace underlines the need for a constantly updated electronic edition which keeps the community at the forefront of research. The goal of this new edition is to integrate this new information about specific prokaryotic groups with our existing knowledge and provide a new synthesis of our understanding of prokaryotic life.

Bergey's Manual Trust

The first edition of Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology was initiated by action of the Society of American Bacteriologists (now called the American Society for Microbiology) by appointment of an Editorial Board consisting of David H. Bergey (Chairman), Francis C. Harrison, Robert S. Breed, Bernard W. Hammer and Frank M. Huntoon.

This Board brought the first edition of the Manual into print in 1923 and published second and third editions in 1925 and 1930. In 1936, the Bergey’s Manual Trust was formed to use the royalty income provided from sale of the Manual to pay the costs of preparing, editing and publishing revisions and successive editions of the Manual as well as providing for research that may be necessary or desirable in such activities.

Since the creation of the Trust, the Trustees have published the fourth through ninth editions of the Manual (the last in 1994). The first edition of multivolume Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology was published in 1984-1989. The second edition, published in 2001-2012, comprised five volumes and the contributions of nearly one thousand authors. These Manuals provide extensive descriptive information of the taxonomy, systematics, physiology, ecology and habitats of individual prokaryotic groups as well as a natural classification of prokaryotes that reflects their evolutionary history.

For full details of the Manual's Editorial Team, visit the Editors & Contributors page

Articles

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