Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin

WOW! The information provided in this book about Wisconsin's amphibians and reptiles is detailed and comprehensive! It will appeal to professionals and the general public alike--anyone with an interest in Wisconsin's natural world. In addition to distribution maps and a wealth of scientific information about each species, "Natural History Boxes" provide interesting and insightful field notes. County Record data is provided for each species. The "Literature Cited" appendix can point the interested reader/researcher to additional sources. What a treasure trove of information this book provides! it is destined to be "THE REFERENCE" for Wisconsin's amphibians and reptiles for years to come!

This book is so information packed! While this book may not be the best book to haul around out in the field it is an invaluable resource of herptology knowledge and a Wisconsin habitat guide. Any other academic book similar to the size and scope of this book costs easily 2 to 3 times as much! Buy this book it is amazing!

This book is written amazingly for both beginners and professionals. I love the summary sections at the beginning of each species that helps with ID and basic information! I am eager to learn and this book provides further in depth information! This book is truly want you wanna get from it! Not to mention the illustrations and colored photos are exceptional!

When I purchased this book, I was hoping for a nice update to Vogt's classic Natural History of Amphibians and Reptiles in Wisconsin. I must have read that book 100 times from cover to cover. While this book is very thorough with its species accounts it reads more like an encyclopedia or research publication than a traditional nature book or field guide. It has many photos, but they don't really compliment the text and pale in quality to other field guides like Amphibians & Reptiles of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan. It's an expensive book that will unfortunately sit on the shelf. Midwest reptile enthusiasts looking for a good read should pick-up Vogt's original and/or one of the Carl Kauffeld classics (Snakes and Snake Hunting or Snakes: The Keeper and the Kept). My rating: 6 out of 10.

To start out, this is a very hefty book at nearly 1,176 pages! The plusses of this book are that there are a lot of great, color photographs and other plates, as well as unique information and insights specific to each species. The hypothetical species section, as well as the counties of possible occurrence for each species listed are also quite interesting, and should have the reader excited and interested in learning more and wanting to fill in these gaps.The biggest flaw of this book, however, is that a lot of it reads more like an academic or research paper, and might not be as engaging for general audiences as it could be. The one or more natural history boxes given for each species listed try to be entertaining, but it kind of just feels one-sided. I can see this book going over a lot of heads.This is not a terrible book by any means, but not my favorite either. For a much lighter book, with much of the same information in only 76 pages, go with the Vogt. (1981) book. Overall, I would give this book a 6.5/10.