What is Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology?

Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology is an extensive reference manual used for bacterial classification. The first edition was published in 1923 under the sponsorship of the Society of American Bacteriologists (organized in 1899 and now known as the American Society for Microbiology). This reference work was first conceived by David H. Bergey (1860-1937) with the assistance of a special committee of the Society of American Bacteriologists chaired by Francis C. Harrison. The most recent edition was published in four volumes in 2001 under the name Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology.