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These are some other books that I think many would benefit from that are definitely worth the money. This is not near complete yet as I have many herp books left to place on this list and many that aren't very popular for most. This is just an overview of most of my books that I think would be valuable to others that may be looking for good herpetology books.

My love for amphibian and reptile diversity has made me appreciate and want to learn all about the different species of herps throughout the world. This may ultimately be the reason that I have chosen systematics as my field of choice. Not all herpetologists have a ton of herp books but I think most systematists do. There are a lot of herpetologists that don't have tons of herp books. Instead they prefer to have many ecology, physiology, behavior books, etc... and only use herps as model organisms for their field. Systematists on the other hand tend to have a lot of herp books and fewer specialty books. So that's my excuse for this crazy collection!

My second favorite book is probably:

Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica

By Jay M. Savage

This book is large and full of info and photos of all the species of reptiles and amphibians of Costa Rica. Excellent book and nice price tag at only around $75.

Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles List Price: $70

by George R. Zug, Janalee Caldwell, and Laurie J. Vitt 2nd edition Hardcover (February 2001) 600 pgs.

For a person studying to be an academic herpetologist, this book is a must. This is a book that I used for my senior level herpetology class and it has been excellently detailed in all the behavioral, ecological, and physiological aspects of herpetology. Although this may be difficult to read by some (because it is written for biology students) it has many of the terms and subjects that you will need to know in order to become a real herpetologist. It is a broad study of all the reptiles and amphibians of the world so it doesn't get into specific details about certain groups but with 600 pages of scientific information jammed into the best book on general herpetology, it doesn't leave much out. Probably not the most interesting book for herp enthusiasts or herpculturists but certainly something that all can learn from.

Herpetology: 3rd edition

By F. Harvey Pough, R. M. Andrews, J.E. Cadle, Marty Crump, Alan Savitzky, and K.D. Wells

The other excellent college text book on herpetology. I am a little biased towards the Zug herpetology book but this is a close second. Either book is great and you can't go wrong with buying them.

Lizards: Windows to the Evolution of Diversity

By Eric Pianka and Laurie Vitt

I love this book. This book is to lizards as Harry Greene's book is to snakes. If you study lizards, then you have to buy this book! It is incredible! Tons of information and photographs that express the variety of diversity of lizards throughout the planet. An interesting overview on all different types of lizard behavior and function told by two of the best lizard ecologists on the planet.

Cusco Amazónico

By William E. Duellman

A comprehensive book on one region in southeastern Peru, Reserva Amazonica. A remarkable station and laboratory that scientists and tourists will hopefully get to visit for years to come. This book was in the making for many years and has had many students and scientists conducting field work there and collaborating on research with Duellman. A book that will hopefully inspire other biologists to conduct serious long-term field studies on the biota at field stations and regions in the tropics.

Sea Turtles: A Complete Guide to their Biology, Behavior, and Conservation

By James R. Spotila

Just got it.

Patterns of Distribution of Amphibians: A Global Perspective

Edited by William E. Duellman

This book is another excellent book. A bit much on price for most that don't study amphibians but is an excellent reference for those that do. This book contains distribution chapters of amphibians from all around the globe written by some of the top amphibian biologists of the regions, including Zhao Er-Mi and Jonathan Campbell. Very technical.

Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians List Price: $40

by Harold G. Cogger and Richard G. Zwiefel (July 1998) 240 pgs.

An excellent read to learn about reptiles and amphibians throughout the world. This book has amazing photographs along with an enormous amount of information on every type of reptile and amphibian in the world. Although it doesn't go into a lot of detail about each group of herp, it gives you the more than general need to know information you'll use throughout your studies of reptiles and amphibians. It also has various other authors who specialize in certain areas in the book. They write the sections of the book that they are experts in their field at, like Richard Shine and snakes. Another great author in the book is Dr. Jay M. Savage who writes on the classification of reptiles and amphibians. An interesting thing about this book is that it has all the families of reptiles and amphibians listed at the beginning of the book and most are described throughout.

A Key to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada

By Robert Powell, Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hopper, Jr.

A necessity for any herpetologist studying North American species for exact identification of dead specimens. Has a lot of excellent drawings and figures showing particular morphological variations in separate species for easy identification. A few species are not listed but near all are.

Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo

By Karl P. Schmidt and G. K. Noble (revised edition by SSAR 1998)

A beautiful book but not complete for a field guide. Many black and white illustrations and great taxonomic information. Relatively large with tons of technical data. Certainly worth finding if you are interested in central African species.

The World's Most Spectacular Reptiles and Amphibians List Price: $23

by William H. Lamar (1997) 208 pgs.

For herpculturists this might be your favorite book. This book is a prized possession due to its incredible photographs on some of the most beautiful reptiles and amphibians in the world. Although the book doesn't possess a lot of scientific data like most of my books, its portrayal of reptiles and amphibians as beautiful is remarkably appealing to people who don't even like herps. Herpculturists will find this book useful for their next selection of herps they want to buy. This book should get any person interested in reptiles and amphibians and no one will be able to deny the beauty of these animals after seeing these photos. I would definitely recommend this to any person who loves beautiful photography or herpetology (academic or herpculture). This might be a little bit more attractive for herpculturists than scientists.

Medical Herpetology

by Steve Grenard (1994) 140 pgs.

A great book for a scientist that studies reptiles and amphibians. Medical Herpetology isn't exactly a book for herpteculturists and amateurs due the complex biological reading involved. This is a necessity for some people that are in the medical field and have to treat wounds, especially since about half of this book is focused on snakes. The book goes into great detail about the uses reptiles and amphibians have in the medical field. It also focuses on their hazards to society and treatments a person can and should take when affected by a certain reptile or amphibian. There is a lot of physiology in this book that can be hard to understand but it is one of the most interesting books if you are interested in how many reptiles and amphibians can help humanity in the medical field and how they can be a detriment to society. This book is very useful to me because it tells people like me what the treatments for many herpetology incidence, such as snake bite, should be and how particular animals can affect me. Hopefully, if you want this book you can be lucky enough to find it because it is hard to come by. The list price I believe is $20 but I have seen people sell it used on line for $125 to $195. I guess there weren't many made and it is sort of sought after.

Amphibians and Reptiles of Arkansas

By Stanley Trauth, Henry Robinson, and Michael Plummer

This book is awesome and a must for anyone living in Arkansas. It is probably the best single state based herpetology book available. I think it may even be better than the infamous "Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico". Definitely a labor of love.

Reptiles and Amphibians of Europe

By E. Nicholas Arnold & Denys W. Ovenden

Distribution maps, color plates, and natural history information on each species of herp in Europe. Not that great of a guide but probably doesn’t have to be to identify the species on the continent. It is still probably the best field guide and general reference to European herps. Not that expensive either.

Reptiles of Australia

By Steve Wilson and Gerry Swan

Small distribution maps and photos of every species of reptile in Australia (over 836 species). Also has good basic information on each species. You can’t beat the $20 price tag of this excellent book. It isn’t thorough on any particular group or species but because of the great variety of reptiles it does a good job getting the basics down.

Introduction to Horned Lizards of North America

by Wade Sherbrooke

A small but very thorough field guide to all the species of horned lizards. It has distribution maps, photos, and natural history information on each species. An excellent guide and information book on such an awesome group of lizards.

Tracking the Vanishing Frogs

By Kathryn Phillips

I haven't read this book yet but have heard good things about it.

Ecoviews: Snakes, Snails, and Environmental Tales

by Whit and Anne R. Gibbons

An excellent book with tons of info on many animals, not just reptiles and amphibians. Filled with a lot of great anecdotes that give us a really good look at how important and intricate the Earth's animals really are. This is not a scientific read and is made for the general public to understand how great the animals around them really are. I brought this book with me to Bolivia and read it while I was sitting around in La Paz after finishing up three weeks of field work. I finished it in two days and didn't want it to end.

Keeping All the Pieces: Perspectives on Natural History and the Environment

by Whit and Anne R. Gibbons

Just as good as "Ecoviews" with the same format. I was in the middle of reading this book before I gave it away as a gift to a good naturalist friend who deserved this great book. Both of these books make excellent gifts for any biologist, regardless of their specialty, though now I need to buy a new one for myself again, lol.

Their Blood Runs Cold

by Whit Gibbons

A really good book with a lot of snake, reptile, and amphibian stories and anecdotes. I didn't like this book as much as his others "Ecoviews" and "Keeping all the Pieces", but this pertains more to herps. It was well written and I enjoyed it a lot. Definitely worth getting but I would purchase his other two books first.

Vertebrate Ecology and Systematics: A tribute to Henry Fitch

Edited by: Richard A. Seigel, et. al.

A book dedicated to one of the greatest herpetologists around. It has many technical research articles in it with authors like Harry W. Greene, Charles C. Carpenter, and William E. Duellman.

Ecology and Evolution in the Tropics: A Herpetology Perspective

Edited by: Maureen A. Donnelly, Brian I. Crother, Craig Guyer, Marvalee H. Wake,

and Mary E. White (2005)

A book celebrating the extensive and incredible lifetime achievements of Dr. Jay M. Savage. Written in part by many of Dr. Savage’s former graduate students and colleagues, EET is one of the most excellent books on up-to-date studies of ecology and evolutionary research in the Neotropics. This book is technical but incredibly valuable for anyone considering or currently studying in the tropics, especially in the fields of systematics, evolution, biogeography, and/or ecology. With chapters written by great authors like Harry W. Greene, David B. Wake, Joseph B. Slowinski, Roy W. McDiarmid, Karen R. Lips, Steven D. Werman, all the editors, and many others in this one book it is a must have for any herpetologists interested in the latest research in tropical herpetology.

Reptiles of the Northwest (2002)

By Alan St. John $19 271 pp.

This is a good field guide for reptiles in the northwestern United States. It has excellent photographs and good distribution maps. An excellent starter book if you live in the Pacific Northwest and want to learn more about the herps in your area. Also has some typical field guide natural history info. along with identification assistance and field notes.

Islands and the Sea : Essays on Herpetological Exploration in the West Indies

Edited by Robert W. Henderson and Robert Powell (2003) $48

Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles: Contributions to Herpetology No. 20

This book is a pleasure for anyone interested in reading other herpetologists’ field stories. Thirty herpetologists, from University professors to undergraduate students, share tales from their personal herpetological adventures in the islands of the West Indies. This is a fun, non-technical, and exciting read that will take you to their corner of the world and allow you to experience a little piece of what their fieldwork is like. The smaller chapters allow you to read periodically whenever you feel like enjoying an awe-inspiring story without worrying about having to devote a lot of time to a single chapter.

Recent additions:

Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California

by L. Lee Grismer (2002) $95

Amphibians and Reptiles of the Bay Islands and Cayos Cochinos, Honduras

by James R. McCranie, Larry David Wilson, and Gunther Köhler

(2005) $30

Reptiles of Central America

by Gunther Köhler (2003) $125

Venomous Snakes of the World

by Mark O'Shea (2005)

A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa

by Johan Marais (2005)

Robert Jadin's Herpetology Journal

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