I just drove down to Krieger to snag the first publisher's review copy of this book, and I'm glad I did. This satisfyingly thick handbook covers quite a bit of ground in terms of the captive care, feeding and breeding of many viperids. It also gives detailed notes on the clinical effects of their venom, including a number of case histories and species specific treatments. In some cases veterinary notes are also included, such as identifying the common endo- and exoparasites of the species which require treatment in imported specimens.
All in all this book is going to be an indispensible addition to my library. The information in it should be of considerable interest to anyone who keeps venomous snakes privately or professionally.
My single nitpick is they either screwed up the color matching on the cover or that is a very attractively atypical blue specimen of Atheris chloroechis on the cover. I also spotted one minor typo so far. But the book I have is an advance review copy so it's possible these things will be corrected. Either way it's an excellent addition to any venomous keeper's library.
TRUE VIPERS: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers
