Best Snake Books

[Cazador]

Hey Melissa,
I thought the photography in Snakes: The evolution of mystery in nature was spectacular, and they cover fascinating factoids about a lot of different species. It's a great book that gives a broad introduction into the world of snakes. However, I thought they tried to cover too many species and ended up with an interesting book with little tidbits, but they didn't go into a lot of depth on anything, in particular.

The locomotion chapter, for example, had to cover gliding, burrowing, sidewinding, rectilinear, concertina travel, etc. I thought it was glossed over (as would be necessary when covering so many topics in a generalized book). Same thing for the reproduction chapter. Being a rattlesnake fan, I see how you would have appreciated it, but I thought it was lacking in specifics for garters; despite multiple references.

Does the watersnake book cover garters or specifically Nerodia spp?

[cascabel]

I believe that it is Nerodia only. Someone asked about a Nerodia book...

Originally Posted by Cazador

Hey Melissa,
Does the watersnake book cover garters or specifically Nerodia spp?

[Cazador]

We've had quite a few new members join the forum since we've discussed the best garter snake books, so I wanted to revisit this topic as well as ask the new members to please vote in the (Strumpfbandnattern) poll after they've reviewed this thread. I plan to present the results of the poll to the publishers to see if they will publish an English version of Strumpfbandnattern when/if the results become favorable enough. Thanks,
Rick

[Stefan-A]

I just got Strumpfbandnattern in German. It's definitely worth it every penny. I'd say it's the best book available for garter snake owners, with the Rossman et al. book being the best out there for anyone interested in, well, garter snakes' evolution and ecology.

[Daniel]

Hey Stefan,

do you understand German. Your post above makes me thinking so.

Best wishes,

Daniel

[Stefan-A]

Yes, I took a number of courses in school. It's still easier for me to understand than it is to use.

Understanding the text or translating it is not a problem, even if it would sometimes help to have a dictionary. Just don't ask me to write anything in German, mein Deutsch ist leider nicht so gut and I wouldn't want to make a complete *** of myself by getting the grammar wrong.

It's pretty much common knowledge here though, that the best herp literature is usually in German. Decided to give Strumpfbandnattern a shot and I'd say it paid off.

[Daniel]

Hi Stefan,

sorry that it took me so long to answere you. Dein Deutsch ist sehr gut, aber ich verzichte lieber darauf hier weiter auf deutsch zu schreiben und mache mich selbst zum Idioten und schreibe weiter auf Englisch

The book you´ve bought is really one of the best ones on the german market. But if you´re interested in some newer informations about garter snakes and some really nice and especially new pics, than you definitely have to buy the DRACO-Magazine with the titel "Strumpfbandnattern". Just give it a chance and please let me know, how you liked it, after reading it!

you can order it right here: Natur und Tier Verlag: DRACO 25, Strumpfbandnattern, Februar/März/April 2006

Best wishes,

Daniel

[Gijs & Sabine]

The Draco-magazine Daniel is telling about is a very nice one. We can recommend it And the pics are really beautifull !!!

[drache]

Oh, I wish I'd known about the Draco magazine when I got all that stuff from Germany.
I did get the Mutschmann book as well, and it's a really good book in terms of the information, but not so much visually - it's mostly black-and-white - there's a total of two colour pages with small pictures for species identification. So it's more something for folks who can read German, whereas Hallmen/Chlebowy has lots of great colour photos, as well as illustrations and it's worth looking at, even if you can't read it.
"Understanding Reptile Parasites" is a must.
Same with "What's Wrong with my Snake".
"The Snake Scientist" primarily features the Narcisse snake dens" and while it's geared toward children, I really love the photos.
I also like "227 Secrets Your Snake (and Lizard) Wants You to Know" - for fun and informative snake reading - there's even a section on how to convince your mate to let you get just one more snake.
Of course there is Rossman et al
and
I just found a used copy of Reptile Medicine and Surgery (Mader) on the Internet - still a big jump at $40.-, but not as bad as new. Can't wait to get it.

[adamanteus]

I have some really interesting scientific papers on Thamnophis, many from The University of Louisiana, including a few of D. Rossmans early work. I guess some are outdated now, but still good to read. I buy them through specialist dealers in the UK.