Excellent guide, color plates are great aids for quicky identification as well as colored maps explaining range of each specie, it also explains details of each specie in a very detailed way and suggest many tips in order to recognize particular species. I own many guides and honestly this is part of my favorites and best guides, maybe you wont find anything better than this except for the Audubon Guides, considering the extensive color pictures on those...
Sorry about my grammar, Im from Mexico.

This book was my bible as a boy. For anyone who enjoys watching small creatures in their natural habitats, the life-histories of amphibians and reptiles can be very enjoyable. This book is educational and extremely comprehensive. Even after moving to Europe, I kept my copy of this book, purely for sentimental value (none of the species from back home are to be found over here).

The book is written for those who want a lot of information, yet it is accessible for anyone from a very inquisitive boy or girl, through to university students who want to identify species in the wild. (I know, I used my copy from the age of ten to twenty-five on countless field trips and excursions.)

It's sturdy and affordable, especially considering the amount of information it contains. There are many b/w illustrations within the text showing specific identifying features, and a nice set of colour and black and white plates. More useful than Audubon, if you like these peaceful little animals this book will be with you for a long time.

Beautiful color photographs, realistic paintings of each species illustrating diagnostic characteristics, and wonderful accounts on each form, from two of the most respected herpetologists to ever live. The color maps are not as good as the original black and white versions, but color photographs by the foremost authority on North American wildlife photography, more than make up for this. The maps are still better than those used in any field guide covering the same geographic area. Every kid should have at least one.

This is an excellent state work, with detailed and accurate text, excellent photographs, precise maps, and up-to-date scientific nomenclature. Common names are those standardized nationwide since 1978, with the exception of the names used for snakes of the genus Tantilla. Purchasers of this book should go to page 307 and simply cross out the tongue-twisting "black-headed" and replace it with Blackhead (so much easier pronounced; it just rolls off the tongue -- truly a common name). Highly recommended. Certainly the best book on the subject, and a must for all herpetologists. Buy it quick before they run out of copies.

There are many, even myriad, good things about this book. However, there are a few things I did not like and which, if corrected in a future revision, could turn this book into a world beater in the field of herpetology. First the "bad" things: 1. This book needs a topo and political map or several. Places and physical features are constantly mentioned but, other than the tiny range maps associated with each species account, there is only one map at the front of the book which shows the counties and major cities, that is if you consider Animas and Hobbs to be major cities. 2. The glossary needs improvement. There are many terms which are used constantly which should be defined but are not. For instance, in one species account, a lizard is described as having scales which are "imbricate and mucronate." Just for kicks, I looked in the glossary. "Mucronate" is defined - "imbricate" is not. 3. Find another way to arrange the "List of scientific and common plant names used in the text." There is no arrangement whatsoever to the list. Plants are listed alphabetically by genus under the family. However, the family names are haphazard. Thus, if one does not know the family name, one has to peruse the list from top to bottom to find the plant named in the text. Woe be unto the reader who doesn't know that Helianthus is in the family "Compositae," the last named family. Pardon me for saying this but it appears as if the authors used their college botany texts to research the family names. After years of not complying with nomenclatural convention, the botanists finally joined the world and changed family names to agree with convention. Thus, Compositae became Asteraceae and Gramineae became Poaceae, for example. Also, ALL plants mentioned should be listed, even aquatic plants. Plants are keys to finding reptiles and even subtle differences in plant denizens of a habitat may make a great deal of difference in the animals found there. NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF The standard items are all found at the beginning of the book, e.g., Foreword, Preface, Acknowledgments followed by a concise Physiographic Sketch of New Mexico (Words, not pictures) which in no way can take the place of a good physical map of the state. One of the best features is a "Brief History of Herpetology in New Mexico" in which the authors give insight into the historical aspects of herpetology in the state. This theme is repeated in the text of the species accounts with interesting snippets of history intermixed with the drier facts of science. A checklist of NM herps is provided and this is where disagreements are going to arise. The authors utilize what some would consider "old" or "controversial nomenclature." However, if one reads the species accounts, all disputed uses of nomenclature are explained. Even though I disagree with some of the generic nomenclature used, the authors gave good and valid reasons for using what they did. There are good keys to all the major groups of herps in NM and they appear detailed enough to lead a novice to the right creature, as long as the scales are not imbricate. The species accounts are very well written except for the occasional typo - "then instead of than", for instance -and give loads of information. Virtually everything one would want to know about an animal is in here. The species accounts follow a format similar to the SSAR Catalogue species accounts and that is not at all bad. It might be good if a majority of this type of book were to follow a similar format. A very fine section of glossy photos is found in the midst of the species accounts. It seems that this is the way publishers are going to make books now so, take it or leave it. The photos, by the way, are arranged in the same manner as the text for fairly easy location. Degenhardt, et al, have compiled a magnificent bibliography with everything you ever wanted to know about New Mexico Herps and where to find it. The authors have years of experience in New Mexico herpetology and have used every one of those years in producing an outstanding volume. It's a little large to carry out in the field but it is worth every penny and when in New Mexico, should be at least carried in the vehicle. This book would be a bargain at twice the price.

If you're a backyard or weekend wildlife observer, this is the perfect book for you. Put it in your backpack, pocket, glove box or camper and always be ready to identify! The illustrations are excellent and provide enough detail to know one similar frog from another. If you're looking for some biological detail, go for a bigger book, but this one is great for quick ID.

An excellent and detailed text, the best range maps ever assembled for the genus, and exquisite photography make this an instant classic. Only one criticism: the overemphasis on subspecies distorts completely the composition of the genus. Subspecies are uninformative from an evolutionary and biological standpoint, and this monograph obscures larger, more interesting problems (i.e., is the Trans-Pecos Copperhead a distinct species?). Nonetheless, buy it. But recognize that it is an old-fashioned treatment of snakes whose real diversity has yet to be discovered.

Excellent photographs, maps and text, but uses the tongue-twisting common names devised by academics in the first half of the last century. Common names for North American amphibians, turtles, reptiles and crocodilians have been standardized since 1978, and have generally been adopted nationwide. Unfortunately, this book will cause much confusion about name usage. The publisher should have had this book reviewed by herpetologists of a younger generation; they would have caught the out-dated common names, and saved the publisher some embarrassment.