The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere Jonathan A. Campbell, William W. Lamar. Comstock, Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 2004. Two volume set, Vol. 1: xviii + 504 pp., Vol. 2: xiv + 422 pp., hardback, ISBN: 0-8014-4141-2, (US$149.95/£86.95)

Extract

Campbell and Lamar's monumental 1989 volume ‘The Venomous Reptiles of Latin America’ (also published by Comstock) became an instant classic that took pride of place on any herpetologist's. book shelf. The layout of this new work largely follows that of its predecessor. The first volume contains an introduction to the geography and venomous snake fauna of the Americas (including a key to the species of each country), and species accounts for most New World venomous reptiles. Volume 2 contains the species accounts for the rattlesnakes, a remarkable 96-page bibliography, and four separate chapters written by guest authors. Most relevantly for readers of this journal, two of these chapters are about envenomation: one on bites by North American reptiles (Robert Norris: 25 pp.) and the other on snake bite in Central and South America (David A. Warrell: 53 pp.)

The centrepiece of the book consists of the species accounts, each covering between half a page and seven and a half pages. Each species account contains a synonymy, English and local names, an account of distribution and habitat, a detailed physical description of the species, differentiation from similar species, and remarks on taxonomy and other information. This wealth of information is complemented by distribution maps and no less than 1365 colour photographs, most of excellent quality, as well as some blackand- white photographs. An additional 134 colour figures depict in graphic detail the potential consequences of venomous reptile bites and their (mis-) management.