Snakes of North America: Western Region (Field Guide Series)

Rating:
Summary: A first-rate reference and field guide
Review: The collaborative effort of veteran herpetologist and herpetoculturist R. D. Bartlett and writer, wildlife lecturer, wilderness guide, and herpetologist Alan Tennant, Snakes Of North America: Western Region is a comprehensive guide to the wide variety of snake species found in the western region of North America. Enhanced with 186 full-color photographs, maps of habitat and range, abundance, size, venom status, prey, and behavior of species, and much, much more, Snakes Of North America: Western Region is confidently recommended as being a first-rate reference and field guide filled from cover to cover with the collective wisdom of two experienced herpetological professionals.

Rating:
Summary: Not as strong as its eastern/central counterpart
Review: Together with its companion volume, Snakes of North America: Eastern and Central Regions, this book provides a complete reference to snakes north of the U.S.-Mexico border. It is the weaker of the two volumes, however. It is slimmer, less detailed and lacks the eastern/central volume's bibliography and glossary. It covers snakes on a species-by-species basis (rather than by subspecies, which is the case in the eastern/central volume), which leaves most subspecies with a paragraph of description at most. (Are western subspecies less well-defined than eastern subspecies?) The difference probably results from the fact that the eastern/central book drew upon Tennant's earlier books on Florida and Texas snakes; this book did not have the same advantage. As well, errors in the book suggest that more careful editing was needed. At least one set of range maps was reversed, and there have been reports that some of the garter snake photos were mixed up. Accuracy in a field guide is essential; errors here can compound themselves down the road. Still worth having.