This manual replaces and expands upon the second edition of Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, a 5-volume set completed in 2012. Please click on the BMSAB link for further details or in information on pricing and how to order.

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. The digital edition provides up-to-date descriptions of the taxonomy, systematics, ecology, physiology and other biological properties of all named prokaryotic taxa.

The second edition is being published in 5 volumes - please click on the Volume links below for further details or to purchase the volume.

Volume 1 (2001)

• The Archaea and the deeply branching and phototrophic Bacteria
• Editor-in-Chief: George M. Garrity
• Editors: David R. Boone and Richard W. Castenholz
• ISBN 0-387-98771-1

Volume 2 (2005)

• The Proteobacteria
• Editor-in-Chief: George M. Garrity
• Editors: Don J. Brenner, Noel R. Krieg and James T. Staley
• ISBN 0-387-95040-0

Volume 3 (2009)

• The Firmicutes
• Editors: Paul De Vos, George Garrity, Dorothy Jones, Noel R. Krieg, Wolfgang Ludwig, Fred A. Rainey, Karl-Heinz Schleifer and William B. Whitman
• ISBN 0-387-95041-9

Volume 4 (2011)

• The Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, Tenericutes (Mollicutes), Acidobacteria, Fibrobacteres, Fusobacteria, Dictyoglomi, Gemmatimonadetes, Lentisphaerae, Verrucomicrobia, Chlamydiae, and Planctomycetes
• Editors: Noel R. Krieg, James T. Staley, Daniel R. Brown, Brian P. Hedlund, Bruce J. Paster, Naomi L. Ward, Wolfgang Ludwig and William B. Whitman
• ISBN 0-387-95042-6

Volume 5 (2012)

• The Actinobacteria
• Editors: Michael Goodfellow, Peter Kämpfer, Hans-Jürgen Busse, Martha E. Trujillo, Ken-ichiro Suzuki, Wolfgang Ludwig and William B. Whitman
• ISBN 0-387-95042-7

Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology is a departure from past editions that attempted, usually inadequately, to combine systematic and determinative information. Systematic information will continue to be found in Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, with the Determinative manual serving as a reference to aid in the identification of unknown bacteria.

The arrangement of the book is strictly phenotypic, with no attempt to offer a natural higher classification. The arrangement chosen is utilitarian and is intended to aid in the identification of bacteria. The bacteria are divided into 35 groups, which are comparable to the “Parts” in the eighth edition and the “Sections” in the Systematic volumes. These groups are not meant to be formal taxonomic ranks, but are a continuation of our tradition of dividing the bacteria into easily recognized phenotypic groups. We feel this arrangement is most useful for diagnostic purposes.

The book was compiled by abstracting the phenotypic information contained in the four volumes of Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. Introductory material concerning identification and a key to the groups were added. The past decade has seen an explosion in the description of new taxa of bacteria. We have attempted to include as many of them as possible, but, in a manual of this type with its varied production schedule, not all of the new taxa could be included. For inclusion in this manual, we had to set a cut-off date of January, 1991, for valid publication. In some cases, we have been able to include more recent taxa and have taken their descriptions directly from the original publications.

Volume 1 (1984)

• Gram-negative Bacteria of general, medical, or industrial importance
• ISBN 0-683-04108-8

Volume 2 (1986)

• Gram-positive Bacteria other than Actinomycetes
• ISBN 0-683-07893-3

Volume 3 (1989)

• Archaeobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and remaining Gram-negative Bacteria
• ISBN 0-683-07908-5

Volume 4 (1989)

• Actinomycetes
• ISBN 0-683-09061-5