Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The post below got me thinking. Books are sorta forgotten in the digital age but what is your favorite herp book of all time ? I'll break it down into catagories below. Fell free to add a catagory if I forgot one.
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This can be state or country specific any field guide
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>>This can be state or country specific any field guide
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I don't really have a favorite, but Wehrler and Dixon's Texas Snakes is a must have book, particularly if you live here in the Lone Star state.

I just got Reptiles of East Africa (Spawls, et al) and I must say I am enjoying that book as well.
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Chris Harrison

There are quite a few good regional books. Here are some of my favs. Unfortunately,
I can't remember the authors of most of them, off hand:

Snakes of the Eastern US - Tennant
Snakes of the Western US - Tennant (?)
Handbook of Snakes - Wright & Wright
Conant's Peterson Field Guide
The Texas Snakes books by Dixon, Tennant
Colorado - Hammerstein (?)
New Mexico
North Carolina
Reptiles of Virginia
Florida - Tennant's & Bartlett's books
Connecticut - Klemmens
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Arizona - Fowlie
Northeastern Reptiles & Amphibians

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My favorite book in my collection.
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np

That's a hell of an entertaining book!

>>That's a hell of an entertaining book!
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for telling stories on snakes, at least in the SE; this guy was a master herper and a renown herpegologist, period...his essays, like "In Praise of Snakes" and others are great because he was in central Florida back in the '30s when Indigos would wander into someone's house and kings and the like were to be seen everywhere.

He was writing about the beauty and importance of snakes long before most were.

His writing and technical knowledge made him a master story teller or technical writer.

-John

"Others have spoken for cranes and whales, and I hasten to say these words in praise of snakes, whose Silent Spring is also far along."

Archie Carr - In Praise of Snakes

If you guys want a good read I suggest checking out this book. You will not be dissappointed. The book is about the herping adventures of Paul Freed.
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Sometimes I run and sometimes I crawl, Sometimes I fly and sometimes I fall, But this dream of mine won't change at all

AIM-Lgholbrooki

Scott@texassnakes.net

My sentimental favorite snake hunter's book is Barbara Brenner's A Snake Hunter's Diary.

Kauffeld wasn't available in most public libraries in my youth (I was 18 before I discovered him), so I had to live vicariously through the author of Brenner's book. I must have read that book 1000 times. About 20 years ago, I chased down and bought a copy of my own (and was surprised I could still find it!). I still love to read it!
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Chris Harrison

>>My sentimental favorite snake hunter's book is Barbara Brenner's A Snake Hunter's Diary.
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>>Kauffeld wasn't available in most public libraries in my youth (I was 18 before I discovered him), so I had to live vicariously through the author of Brenner's book. I must have read that book 1000 times. About 20 years ago, I chased down and bought a copy of my own (and was surprised I could still find it!). I still love to read it!
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>>Chris Harrison
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Stephen Spawls' Sun, Sand, and Snakes. Like the other herp trip books, but this time in Africa!
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Chris Harrison

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i.e. Reptiles of the World by Ditmars.
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>>i.e. Reptiles of the World by Ditmars.
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i.e. The Ultimate Cornsnake Guide by the Loves
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The Keeper and the Kept. I've read this book over and over, it never gets old! Just wish he hadn't been so specific in his collecting areas, but who knew at the time?
Always a great read, makes you feel like you're there!
Cheers, Bill

I need to upgrade my copy of that book mine is missing some photo pages. I agree this book is excellent as well.

Keith

>>The Keeper and the Kept. I've read this book over and over, it never gets old! Just wish he hadn't been so specific in his collecting areas, but who knew at the time?
>>Always a great read, makes you feel like you're there!
>>Cheers, Bill
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I agree, every chapter makes me decide once and for all where I want to live next.
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Martin Whalin

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld
My Email

When I bought Kauffeld's Keeper and The Kept some 25 years ago, I didn't know who he was. That old beat up copy selling for $1.95 in a Tucson used bookshop was clearly the best investment I ever made with my allowance money. Best book I ever bought. It was reprinted in the 1990's, as well as Snakes and The Snake Hunting, which is also a gem.

I've got various field guides-Peterson guides,Conant/Collins. Reptiles of the northwest,Alan St. John(which, by the way, my second cousin, Doug Calvin, help to contribute). As a kid Markel& Bartlett's book-Kingsnakes & Milksnakes, Chris Mattison's- Keeping & breeding snakes, and Mehrtens-Living snakes of the world, helped alot, not to mention hours and hours of enjoyment. While living in Va a few years ago I picked up a book called Snakes of Virginia by Donald W. Linzy and Michael J. Clifford. That book is great and even shows detailed state maps of sighting of each speices by county. Hope I'm making sense here. Also Appelgate's-The general care and maintenance of Milksnakes is a favorate.-Smokey

Rattlesnakes by Laurence Klauber and a new one called The Complete Chondro by Greg Maxwell

Tom

I agree in this digital age books are still very important.

For my area of the world, David Perlowin's book, Common Kingsnakes is a good overall reference.

Tenant's book A guide to Florida's Snakes or something along those lines (it's at home and not in front of me) is probably the best overall book for snakes in that area, and his larger book on snakes of the Eastern U.S. is also a very good guide and the bibliography is excellent.

For technical info., A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States is a good place to key critters and have a good bibliography.

I also recommend Snakes: Ecology and Behavior by Seigal & Collins (McGraw-Hill Publisher) - a really neat book about snakes as a whole.

Then there is the classic book by Roger Conant, A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, which has gone through several revisions (the current one is great with all the color plates); I keep this one handy for field work.

In addition, a good herpetology text book for undergraduates has tons of info. on herps as a whole and sometimes has stuff you won't find elsewhere - also they have excellent bibliographies to look for references.

I would also get a book on breeding once I got there.

-John