Customer Reviews

Snakes of North America: Eastern and Central Regions (Lone Star Field Guides)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book has the most comprehensive and up to date data down to sub-specific detail I've seen in a field guide, or any publication for that matter. This book is informative and easy to read. As a field guide it tries to group the animals by their appearance, which is occasionally annoying, but for a novice trying to identify something it is logical. The collection of pictures is quite complete, however, unusual color morphs of some species are depicted where it would be better to show clearer pictures of typical specimens(especially because it is a field guide).

A very good reference and field guide to snakes from Texas to North Dakota eastwards, aimed at enthusiasts and accessible to the average reader. It builds on Tennant's earlier books on Texas and Florida snakes (which were excellent), and in fact the text of the species accounts is often lifted more or less directly from those books. This makes this book less than original, but the detail -- over 600 pages worth -- is very good. Lots of photos, though each are a little small. This book is thicker, more thorough and generally stronger than the companion western volume (Snakes of North America: Western Region). It also has a good bibliography. One quibble, though -- the range maps often do not extend into Canada (though the Canadian ranges of the relevant snakes are discussed in the text), which reduces the usefulness of this book for Canadian readers. Recommended.

I just bought the 2003 edition of this book, and I must say it is great! The pics are very good! On some of the variable species, there are more than one photo to show you the different forms. The author provides great information on every aspect of the snakes' lives including size, reproduction, prey, habitat, and relative abundance. The book is very easy to read and is a steal at that price for 600 well written pages on North American snakes!- Anthony J. Chodan

Overall I thought this book was well written, very comprehensive, and quite easy to use. The copy I purchased has a problem with some of the pages being out of order. The Western guide I have has the range maps for the hognoses reversed. These may be a function of the printing company's sloppiness. However, I believe this book is an important addition to any serious amateur or professional herpetologist or budding herpetoculturist.

Excellent book for novice and experienced alike. Tons of pertinent, useful information. This is a great book for educating entry level herpers. This is not a typical field book, having far more useful information for each species than most I have used. This is particularly helpful when dealing with similar species. More info on typical habitat, range, size, coloration, diet, etc. makes identification easier. A great addition to any library.

Snakes of North America, Revised Edition: Eastern is a very decent snake book. The numerous photos are top notch, the text well written and interesting. I would like to have seen more detail about how and where to find these snakes though.
As a reference tool for herpers interested in snakes of the eastern US, this is an excellent book. There is nothing in it about lizards, and I understand that it is just about snakes, however most of us who are keen on snakes, are also interested in lizards, and it would have been good to have included some of that here. But really, overall, it is a fine book, and well worth what I paid for it.
[...]

mostly as described, large tear in binding which I did not expect. As for content, very nice book with lots of good field information. I'd like to see more examples of each species.

i bought this as a present for my father in law. He sometimes has a snake here and there in the backyard and wants to know what kind it is. This is a good book to know about local snakes.
It has nice clear pictures of the snakes to compare too and then little info about that snake.

This is not for very detailed info though.

This book is exactly what I was looking for. We have alot of snakes here in Florida and while I'm no fan of snakes, I don't want to kill the harmless ones but more importantly, I need to know for sure which are venomous. We have had several venomous snakes on our property, including coral, rattler and moccasin. My Australian terriers dispatched all but the rattler but it is still terrifying when I find them with a snake so this book is very useful in helping me identify the species.

In fairness, I haven't even read this book. I ordered it in November, and I never received it. Twice Amazon.com asked for permission to extend the date of delivery of my order. Twice I agreed. The third time I said enough is enough. Forget it. I just got my money back, minus the amount I should have obtained from giving Amazon.com an interest-free four-month loan. Each time I was asked to consent to an extension on the delivery date I was denied an explanation for the delay.

I understand that this is more of an indictment of Amazon.com than it is the book, so it is unfair for me to give it the rating I have assigned it. But I just wanted Amazon.com's customers interested in this book that if you want it, be prepared to WAIT!!! (Or look for the book on bn.com.)