Throughout his long and illustrious career, Wilbert (Bill) Fordyce made major contributions to the health and well-being of those who suffered from chronic illnesses. As a clinical psychologist working in rehabilitation medicine, he put health psychology on the map for those who had chronic pain and began the cognitive/behavioral approach to pain management. Excelling in research, teaching, and patient care, he was a founding member of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) and the American Pain Society (APS), lectured worldwide, and received numerous awards and honors in his field. His seminal book, Behavioral Methods for Chronic Pain and Illness , was originally published in 1976 and opened a new era in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain. This republication with contemporary commentaries is an indispensable resource for a biopsychosocial approach to the management of chronic pain.