Reptiles & Amphibians of Australia

by Harold G. Cogger

Pp. 788; numerous fine color photos of the entire herpetofauna of Australia. Publisher's original red cloth, lettered in gilt on the spine, attractive color pictorial dust jacket, thick sm 4to. This is the second printing of the fifth edition of this classic. The volume provides a complete identification keys to the entire Australian herpetofauna covering over 960 species. This well illustrated work includes fine color photographs of living frogs and reptiles, distribution maps and line drawings. There is a long and warm inscription to herpetologist Dick Ross from the author on the title page. There are no signs of use.

Genres: Animals, Science, Nature, Nonfiction

788 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Creature · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello:
Whew! This book is a dream come true for anyone interested in the herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) of the continent of Australia. This book is a true bible to the region. It is full of color photographs, range maps, species descriptions, breeding info, and many observational habitat notations. One of the things I was most impressed with is that this book also contains complete diagnostic keys for identifying the reptiles and amphibians of the region. That alone makes it worth having a copy of this book.
Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, on top of all the phenomenal information it offers, is truly a mammoth volume. this book has well over 700 pages and weighs in at several pounds. A hefty volume indeed.
If you like reptiles and amphibians, or just nature in general, then this might make for interesting reading. I know it'll get a lot of use from me.
I didn't have this book for years but now I can't see why it took so long for me to get it. Sometimes the journey is part of the fun. I happened upon this book at a reptile show. I was looking at some guys snakes and noticed he had a pile of books as well. I looked through them and came across an almost mint copy of this classic work. I picked it up and my admiration must havew been obvious because the guy said that Cogger's book (the author of Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia) should be on every herpetological bookshelf. I agreed though I said the cost was somewhat prohibitive for many. At that point he said "I'll tell you what; you can have it for twenty bucks since I'm moving on to other interests."
I couldn't believe what I heard. A near mint copy of Cogger's massive volume for twenty bucks. Well...the rest is history. He got his twenty bucks and now I have Cogger's book displayed proudly on my herpetological bookshelf though not before I poured over it for several days.
Sometimes the story of how books come into our possession is an interesting story in itself. I think that's one of the things that makes "collecting books" so exciting.
This is an excellent one people. Pick it up.
Have a Great Day!!!
The "Creature"