Is there an equivalent to "Fields Virology" for Bacteria? I've gotten a staggering amount of use out of my copy of _Fields Virology_ as a general reference for "getting me up to speed" on whatever pathogen I'm currently looking at. I don't know of a similar type of reference for bacteria, but I only became aware of _Fields_ as I was moving _out_ of the field, rather than into it, so it's possible I've simply never heard of a suitable reference. Any suggestions?

I might as well give this as an answer: the closest analog to Fields for bacteriology that I'm aware of are the two Bergey's manuals: _Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology_, and _Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology_. They deal with taxonomy and identification of bacteria (and even cyanobacteria and archaeans), with some emphasis on the medically important classes.