Amphibians: The World of Frogs, Toads, Salamanders and Newts [Hardcover]

Robert Hofrichter (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2000

A fascinating world of scientific wonders, the amphibian species is full of unusual and extreme adaptations and is home to numerous unsolved mysteries. Amphibians is your guide to these intriguing and diverse creatures.

Often misunderstood, this species which includes frogs, toads, salamanders and newts, surpasses all other vertebrate species in survival and reproduction strategies. In addition, as the stunning photographs depict, amphibians are also creatures of extreme beauty. Many tropical tree -- and poison-arrow frogs are just as dazzling in appearance as some of the world's most colorful birds.

Scientific experts from all over the globe have contributed their knowledge and understanding of amphibians to this comprehensive volume. An excellent resource for both experienced and amateur scientists, Amphibians, includes information on thousands of amphibian species from throughout the world. This useful reference guide also includes information on the biology, physiology and evolution of amphibians, as well as chapters on Ecology and Ethology, The Meaning of Amphibians for Mankind, and Endangerment and Species Protection. This last section is important as global warming, habitat loss and pesticides have placed many amphibians -- even common frogs and toads -- on the road to extinction.

Fascinating and informative, Amphibians, is one of the most comprehensive books available on this adaptive and ubiquitous species.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This book is an interesting hybrid: on the one hand, it is an introductory textbook to the biology of the amphibians, and on the other, it is a coffee-table book of beautiful photographs of amphibians. A collection of essays by 37 European scientists, Amphibians is an encyclopedic resource. The book is divided into five broad categories, of which the first three are the meat of the text. The first section covers evolution, systematics, and biogeography and answers the questions of what distinguishes amphibians from other animals and why they live where they do. The two largest sections follow, dealing with biology, physiology, ecology, and ethology. The final sections concern amphibians' relations with humans, both as cultural icons and as flagship victims of the general degradation of the environment. Along with photographs, the book is well illustrated with numerous color maps, diagrams, and drawings that greatly illuminate the sometimes technical nature of the text. Despite its European inclinations, this extremely well-illustrated introductory textbook will be useful in all libraries. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Library Journal, Best Reference Sources: 'Essential for most academic and public libraries.' (Library Journal 20010415)

This book is the best in its field! (Philip Kremer Science Books and Films 20010501)

This extremely well-illustrated introductory textbook will be useful in all libraries. (Nancy Bent Booklist 20000801)

Noteworthy ... richly illustrated with some 300 photographs and drawings of superb quality ... equally informative text. (J.E. Platz Choice 20010301)

An encyclopedic reference with contributions by 35 world renowned scientists ... lushly illustrated. (Publishers Weekly 20000814)

Stunning photos and erudite essays. Everything you wanted to know about amphibians but didn't know to ask. (Discover 20010101)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books; First Edition edition (September 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155209541X
• ISBN-13: 978-1552095416
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,282,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Amphibians

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, but tough reading, December 23, 2005

By 

Ellin Beltz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amphibians: The World of Frogs, Toads, Salamanders and Newts (Hardcover)

I was actually disappointed by this book.

Each chapter in this book was written by a different person, most of them highly educated academic herpetologists. There's nothing wrong with the information, except if it's become dated since publication. Unfortunately the whole book is just hard to read! The authors wrote for their own educational level; whether the rest of us can follow it or not depends on how interested we are in the material, how good of a herpetological dictionary we have, and our own educational level.

The pictures are beautiful, probably worth the cover price alone.

It's just - as a writer - I know this could have been written so all could read it. My frustration is that people, particularly young ones, would get turned off on herpetology and perhaps even on science after trying to read this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous photos, but so-so text, August 28, 2004

By 

Jennifer Macke (New Mexico, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amphibians: The World of Frogs, Toads, Salamanders and Newts (Hardcover)

The photos in this book are undoubtedly its strength. It may be worth buying this book just for the pictures. The problems with the text are as follows. First, it is obviously translated. It has been edited for correct English, but some of it still sounds awkward. The word usage often seems strange. I found a few errors, probably introduced by the translation/editing process. Second, it is not clear who it is written for. The vocabulary is probably too advanced for a non-scientist, but the information is nothing new for the specialist. Third, some of the information is too cursory to be of much value. For example, the chapter on diseases is very general; I don't think anyone would find the information here of much value.

This book is worthwhile, but I would not consider it an essential reference work. Buy it for the photos, but don't expect the text to be excellent.

1 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative, November 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Amphibians: The World of Frogs, Toads, Salamanders and Newts (Hardcover)

This has a lot of information in it and pictures, this is a totally awesome book