2007-10-23 excellent introduction

As a physicist new to virology this was an excellent introduction to the field. THe fact that the book was last updated 2003 doesn't matter in the least since it is providing a basic introduction to the topic. Once you have read this book and become familiar with the basic ideas, terminology and classification of viruses it is relatively straightforward to read any recent scientific paper on the topic. Of particular importance is the way the authors emphasize the looseness of virus classification and the necessity to keep an open mind.