Preface/Front Matter

Abstract

Although this book has never before been published, you are looking at the second edition. The first, which lacked the first two chapters of this edition, was completed in November 1970, was set in type but, for reasons which are of only parochial interest, reached no more than the galley proof stage. The galleys were, however, copied and the copies enjoyed a limited circulation. In the summer of 1972 enough enthusiasm was rekindled in various of the contributors to make an attempt at a revised edition seem worthwhile. This is the result of their work superimposed on the original 1970 text.

From the outset we decided to try to produce a text book rather than a collection of review articles, which explains why individual chapters are not attributed to a particular author or authors and why some of those who contributed text may no longer immediately recognize those sections for which they were initially responsible.

Most of the data discussed have been reported since 1960 and we have made a deliberate attempt to select that work which seemed to us likely to have a lasting interest. As a result we have not cited every publication relating to tumour virology that has appeared since 1960, and obviously we have not attempted to produce an exhaustive history of tumour virology, not least because Ludwik Gross has chronicled the subject in the second edition of Oncogenic Viruses. We have also taken full advantage of the current practise of disseminating important information in advance...