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Book Review: Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians: A Comprehensive Illustrated Guide by International Experts (Harold Cogger and Richard Zweifel, illustrations by David Kirshner).
(San Francisco: Fog City Press, 1998, 238 pages).
I got this book at Border's for $5.99 in their cheapo book section. I got a few books on animals there, mostly for the pictures. You have to be careful--some of them are all drawings, but there are a few that use mostly photos. I like the ones with photos, I don't find the ones with drawings very helpful at all.
This book has some really nice pictures of both amphibians and reptiles. A gecko in midair leap, a basilisk lizard running across the water, a frog in defensive stance against a snake.
And a wide array of species also: colorful frogs, posturing snakes, animals eating, animals mating, and their resulting eggs.
The caudate section takes up 15 of its 238 pages, and I have to say, the pictures in this section are not very spectacular. But there are 8 pages on caecilians, which presents more info on them than any book I've reviewed so far, and 29 pages on frogs.
The salamander section gives a pretty good intro to the biology of the salamander, from their four types of skin glands (mucous, granular, mixed, hedonic) to differing degrees of neoteny, to courtship and methods of fertilization, with a bit of folklore thrown in.
Then it describes each family in a little more detail. A short and accurate introduction to caudate biology, but nothing to write home about.
The reptile section, being much larger, presents a great deal more information. But this is a coffee table book, which means it's all about the pictures, and not about the writing.
Despite the many lovely pictures, it is weak on salamanders. If you're interested in more than just caudates, however, it's more than worth the price. In fact I think that in the end it was free because I always take my credit card cashback bonuses as Border's gift cards when I can. And it's practically free for you: available used on Amazon starting at 31¢.
It's easiest to find this book there by using the ISBN number. Click on "Advanced Search," and enter the number there. For some reason it didn't come up when I typed in the name and variations thereof in the initial search.
ISBN-10: 1877019690
Oh heck, here's the direct link:
http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-...90/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1212446545&sr=11-1
(San Francisco: Fog City Press, 1998, 238 pages).
I got this book at Border's for $5.99 in their cheapo book section. I got a few books on animals there, mostly for the pictures. You have to be careful--some of them are all drawings, but there are a few that use mostly photos. I like the ones with photos, I don't find the ones with drawings very helpful at all.
This book has some really nice pictures of both amphibians and reptiles. A gecko in midair leap, a basilisk lizard running across the water, a frog in defensive stance against a snake.
And a wide array of species also: colorful frogs, posturing snakes, animals eating, animals mating, and their resulting eggs.
The caudate section takes up 15 of its 238 pages, and I have to say, the pictures in this section are not very spectacular. But there are 8 pages on caecilians, which presents more info on them than any book I've reviewed so far, and 29 pages on frogs.
The salamander section gives a pretty good intro to the biology of the salamander, from their four types of skin glands (mucous, granular, mixed, hedonic) to differing degrees of neoteny, to courtship and methods of fertilization, with a bit of folklore thrown in.
Then it describes each family in a little more detail. A short and accurate introduction to caudate biology, but nothing to write home about.
The reptile section, being much larger, presents a great deal more information. But this is a coffee table book, which means it's all about the pictures, and not about the writing.
Despite the many lovely pictures, it is weak on salamanders. If you're interested in more than just caudates, however, it's more than worth the price. In fact I think that in the end it was free because I always take my credit card cashback bonuses as Border's gift cards when I can. And it's practically free for you: available used on Amazon starting at 31¢.
It's easiest to find this book there by using the ISBN number. Click on "Advanced Search," and enter the number there. For some reason it didn't come up when I typed in the name and variations thereof in the initial search.
ISBN-10: 1877019690
Oh heck, here's the direct link:
http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-...90/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1212446545&sr=11-1
