Snakes (Wildlife) [Hardcover]

David Badger (Author), John Netherton (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 1999 | Series: Wildlife

Voyageur Naturally is your one-stop resource for books about nature and country sports. We have one of the largest selections available for both adult and young adult and readers. Zoos and aquariums, natural history museums, gift shops, sporting book retailers, and other booksellers all appreciate the depth and quality of our series and our commitment to providing up-to-date information from leading naturalists and scientists.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

"We regard serpents with a destructive hatred purely and simply because we are taught so from childhood," as this new homage to snakes quotes from a 1919 work by naturalist W. H. Hudson. One of the hopes of author Badger and photographer Netherton was to call attention to current threats to snakes and their habitats. They succeed admirably in engaging the reader with beautiful photographs and quotes from earlier works by great naturalists and herpetologists, who were also great writers. The first chapter is a general overview of humans and snakes and is full of interesting tidbits, such as the fact that Benjamin Franklin recommended that a rattlesnake would make a good symbol of the nascent United States. The second chapter presents a primer on snake biology and behavior, and the very long third chapter is an overview of various families and species of snakes (mostly native to North America). The photographs are breathtaking in their composition, clarity, and sheer beauty, and they alone recommend the book. Nancy Bent

Review

"The photographs are breathtaking...and they alone recommend the book."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 100 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press (August 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896584089
• ISBN-13: 978-0896584082
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #527,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snakes are awesome!, February 11, 2008

By 

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

This review is from: Snakes (Wildlife) (Hardcover)

This is one of three awesome herp books that photographer John Netherton and writer David Badger collaborated on. It's such a pity that Mr. Netherton passed away when they were working on their third book, the lizards volume, since they probably would have produced equally great books on newts and salamanders and turtles and tortoises, the other two major herp groups they hadn't done yet. This particular book is loaded with beautiful photos of snakes, and lots of great information on them. There's information on, to name just a few subjects, snake photography, the importance of snake conservation (many people might have an irrational fear of them, but they have to admit that snakes do humanity a very valuable service through natural pest control), our relationship with snakes throughout history, families and species, snakes in literature, reproduction, vision, skin, hibernation, locomotion, and thermoregulation. There's also a wonderful two-page spread in the middle of the book, giving common and scientific names for a whole lot of different snakes.

Snakes featured in the photographs include the North American rough green snake (one of my new favorite species of snake after reading about how fascinated the specimen was by Mr. Badger's rotating screen saver), pigmy rattlesnake, tiger rattlesnake, king cobra, Western green mamba, two-striped forest pit viper, eyelash viper, monocled cobra, mud snake, kingsnake, milk snake, corn snake, ring-necked snake, Columbian rainbow boa, and Burmese python. There are so many amazing snakes I learnt about through this book, both venomous and non-venomous, dangerous and docile. There were also some surprises, such as the story behind the docile king cobra, whom the zookeeper described as very sweet, not the image at all that most people have of such a snake. This book should be recommended not only to people who already love herps, but also to people who are open to learning more about the wonderful world of snakes. These fascinating creatures deserve our respect, admiration, and protection, instead of being feared, hated, and killed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Snakes, snakes, snakes!, November 18, 2003

By 

Janet M. Rosenshine "Janet M. Rosenshine" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Snakes (Wildlife) (Hardcover)

I thought this book was excellent for the most part. The photos were AWESOME, and really makes a person realize the true beauty of snakes. The snake profiles and fun facts were supurb, and I personally learned a lot. This book is an excellent read for those who want to learn more about the wonderful serpents of the world.