Preface -- History -- Chap. 1 Why and How Epstein-Barr Virus was discovered 50 years ago - Anthony Epstein, University of Oxford, UK -- Chap. 2. Tumor associations of EBV – historical perspectives - George Klein, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden -- Chap. 3. EBV-specific immune response: early research and personal reminiscences – Denis J. Moss and Viviana P. Lutzky, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia -- Virus genetics and epigenetics -- Chap. 4. Epstein Barr virus strain variation - Paul J. Farrell, Imperial College, London, UK -- Chap. 5. Chromatin Structure of Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Episomes  – Paul M. Lieberman, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA -- Chap. 6. The epigenetic life cycle of Epstein-Barr virus - Wolfgang Hammerschmidt, Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany. Chap. 7. Epstein-Barr virus: from the detection of sequence polymorphisms to the recognition of viral types - Regina Feederle, Olaf Klinke, Anton Kutikhin, Remy Poirey, Ming-Han Tsai and Henri-Jacques Delecluse, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany -- Viral infection and associated diseases -- Chap. 8. EBV persistence – introducing the virus – David A. Thorley-Lawson, Tufts University, Boston, USA -- Chap. 9. Infectious mononucleosis – Samantha K. Dunmire, Kristin A. Hogquist and Henry H. Balfour, Jr., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA -- Chap. 10. Primary immunodeficiencies associated with EBV disease - Jeffrey I. Cohen, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA -- Chap. 11. Burkitt’s lymphoma – Rosemary Rochford  and Ann M. Moormann, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, and Upstate University of New York, Syracuse, USA -- Chap. 12. Contribution of the Epstein-Barr virus to the pathogenesis of Hodgkin lymphoma – Paul Murray and Andrew Bell, University of Birmingham, UK -- Chap. 13. The role of EBV in the pathogenesis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma – Jane A. Healy and Sandeep S. Dave, Duke University, Raleigh, USA -- Chap. 14. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma:  an evolving role for the Epstein Barr virus – Nancy Raab-Traub, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.-Chap. 15. EBV and autoimmunity – Alberto Ascherio and Kassandra Munger, Harvard University, Boston, USA -- Index.

Epstein Barr virus (EBV) was discovered as the first human tumor virus around 50 years ago. Since its discovery in Burkitt’s lymphoma it has been associated with various other malignancies, infectious mononucleosis and even autoimmune diseases. The two book volumes on EBV summarize the first 50 years of research on this tumor virus, starting with historical perspectives on discovery, oncogenicity and immune control, reviewing the role that the virus plays in the various associated diseases and concluding with a discussion on how the immune system keeps persistent EBV infection under control in healthy EBV carriers and can be used to treat EBV associated diseases. The respective 32 chapters are written by international experts from three continents for health care providers, biomedical researchers and patients that are affected by EBV. The assembled knowledge should help to understand EBV associated diseases better and to develop EBV specific vaccination in the near future.