Lizards [Hardcover]

David Badger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003

Combines excellent vivid color photography with interesting, entertaining text.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Found on every land mass (save Antarctica and a few oceanic islands) and inhabiting a wide array of habitats, lizards form the largest group of living reptiles, but have somehow not grabbed the public's consciousness in the same way as their close relatives the snakes. This book from a writer/photographer team responsible for two other books on herpetofauna [Frogs (2000) and Snakes (1999)] will go a long way to introduce the fascinating lizards. In a conversational tone, Badger lets the reader into the lizards' world. Their traits are amply illustrated by photographer Netherton's remarkable close-up pictures, which also reveal the beauty of many lizard species. The text is enlivened with quotes from writings on lizards, and an ample bibliography will lead the interested reader into the scientific literature. This valuable introduction to the lizards will fill an empty niche in most libraries' collections. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Midwest Book Review Library Watch, September 2006

“Here’s the perfect place to get the entire family interested in the world of lizards: simply gorgeous photos capture the dramatic nuances and colors and delight the eye.”

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896585204
• ISBN-13: 978-0896585201
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #722,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting, January 18, 2007

By 

S. M. Lawrence "TheDogPhotog" (The South) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Lizards: A Natural History of Some Uncommon Creatures:Extraordinary Chameleons, Iguanas, Geckos, & More (Paperback)

I've been photographing Anoles around my garden for the last year or two, and, wanted to do a little extra reading on them. Lizard: A Natural History, provides not only a very enjoyable read, but, fantastic photography. A must companion book for anyone who enjoys getting a little closer to the 'backyard wild', and, wants a closer look at what roams around the rest of the world. Oh, and a bonus, the book has a collection of witty lizard observations from famous authors and naturalist. Quite fun!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lizards!, June 19, 2007

By 

Anyechka (Rensselaer, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lizards: A Natural History of Some Uncommon Creatures:Extraordinary Chameleons, Iguanas, Geckos, & More (Paperback)

Lizards are one of my favorite animals, and all of the beautiful pictures and fascinating facts made me love them even more, and gave me some interesting ideas about what types of lizards beyond the common ones will make the best pets. In addition to the types of lizards which everyone knows about, such as the green iguana, the leopard gecko, the various types of chameleons, the Gila monster, and the green anole, there are types of lizards not commonly known outside of the herpetological community, such as the Eastern glass lizard, which looks like a snake (I think that's my new favorite lizard!), the black tree monitor, the fat-tailed gecko, the six-lined racerunner, and the granite spiny lizard. There isn't a single bad picture in here; lizards just seem to be naturally cute, beautiful, or stately. Some of the more interesting ones are the ones that look like miniature dinosaurs (and have been used in numerous movies over the years as doubles for dinos); this order of reptiles is, after all, descended from the dinosaurs and millions of years old, older than the human race or even the mammalian class. Along with the lovely pictures are chapters on physical characteristics and behavior (such as vision, hearing, mating, teeth, thermoregulation, domestication, hibernation, and locomotion), information on each of the lizards profiled, information on lizard conservation (it's sad how threatened this neat little order of reptiles is by humans, when they do us a great service by eating insect pests and could hold within them medical secrets that could save lives), and the relationship between lizards and humans throughout history and in various places around the world. Though the reptilian brain will never be as advanced, either intellectually or emotionally, as the mammalian brain, the information contained here reveals that numerous types of lizards seem to be rather intelligent, resourceful, and even emotional.

Sadly, during the writing of this book, the photographer, John Netherton, passed away suddenly at a rather young age. Though there wasn't time to get his stories behind these pictures, the text David Badger did include probably would have done him proud. I can't wait to read the other books they collaborated on, about snakes and frogs.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outlines not just facts, but also common fiction, December 12, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lizards (Hardcover)

This natural history of lizards includes the chameleon, iguana, gecko and more, pairing brilliant close-up color photos by John Netherton with a scientific and popular survey by Badger which outlines not just facts, but common fiction about different lizards. David Badger's Lizards is a very fine guide which will serve as both a leisure browse and a library reference.