I have spent a considerable amount of time in Costa Rica, and I found this book to be both accurate and interesting. The reptiles, the amphibians...they're all there. Costa Rica is a beautiful country, and this is a beautiful book. A+,

I have known the author for 30 years. He knows more about the amphibians and reptiles of Costa Rica than anyone I know. The pictures are spectacular. Kudos to both authors.

I have been waiting for this book for over a year and it was well worth it. With over 40 years of 'herping' Costa Rica Jay Savage needs no introduction. Neither do the photographers Michael and Patricia Fogden. Their stunning images of the tropics and its reptiles and amphibians are everywhere. Costa Rica currently has 178 amphibian species and 218 reptile species. Additionally, there are two introduced frogs and four introduced lizards. Savage covers them all. In fact the subtitle covers it moreso. Nearly everything related to herps between two continents and between two seas is covered.

Savage states he wrote this book for several audiences: the general reader with an interest in biology and the herpetofauna, the amateur or part-time naturalist with some background in biology, the tropical biology and herpetolgy student, and the professional biologist. I would say that Savage has succeeded wildly in hitting his broad mark. The book is in four parts. The first gives the layperson a general background of biology, classification, and systematics. This also serves as a good refresher for those familiar with the terms or who is new to learning them. Savage tells us how to observe, where to look, how to catch, and how to preserve as specimens or keep as study subjects the diverse herpetofauna in Costa Rica. Included is a brief political history of Costa Rica. This is just the first chapter. He then describes, in depth, Costa Rica's climate, geography, and numerous habitats and vegetation patterns. Then we learn how to use the meat of this book; the keys.

Parts two and three are the keys to all the known amphibians and reptiles, respectively, of Costa Rica. These keys, broken into appropriate chapters are incredible. We get family descriptions, species accounts, descriptions of eggs, larvae, and adults, location maps, body part nomenclature, countless figures including tadpoles, tadpole mouthparts, body patterns, and headscale counts. This may all sound arcane to the uninitiated but it is invaluable to experts in identifying individual species. Beginners could forego some of this information and focus on more broad details to identify if the snake they saw was poisonous or the frog outside their cabin was a treefrog. Conversely, if you wanted to know the difference between Sibon annulatus and Sibon longifrenis it is in here. The words and drawings are backed up by over 500 color plates detailing nearly every species mentioned. Incredible considering the rarity of some species. There are stunning plates of habitats but mostly they are smallish (6 to a page) but excellent and very descriptive images of the animals. Where else would you find such detailed images of elusive caecelians and salamanders alongside the extinct golden toad Bufo periglenes, numerous and nondescript rain frogs, all the lacertid lizards, snakes, turtles, and crocodilians? Any single part of this text would prove useful. It is hard to believe that so much has been accomplished.

Part four gives us ecological and geographical distribution patterns, evolution and development of herpetofauna, and information of plate movements and land bridge formation. Savage then ends with his explanation of why there are so many species between two continents and between two seas. Included are an addendum, a 17 page glossary, a 50 page literature cited section(!), and two indices. This tome is over 900 pages. There is a ton of information here and the reader can pick and choose what they need or want to know. I haven't read this book cover to cover, yet. And, I am not an expert herpetologist. There certainly could be errors in species accounts but that would most likely be left for a few select individuals to argue over. What I can say is that this text would have easily been too big of a project for it to succeed or prove useful. Somehow, Savage manages it in such a way as to be a benchmark for herpetological texts and guides. I honestly can not say when I've been this excited about a book, although Duellman's Hylid Frogs reprint is a good second. There is much more to this book. Want to know? Buy it.

What this book is not is a field guide in the classic sense. This is a large hefty book. Not likely to be packed in the luggage of a vacationing tourist. If you will be spending some time conducting work in this beautiful country then find something else to leave behind and bring the book. If you are like me then read it before you leave and after you return. You'll know where to look for specific animals and also find it useful in identifying prized photos weeks after returning. If you are looking for a classic herping field guide then try Twan Leenders new book. It is pocket sized and has lots of useful info. Better still own them both.

I liked the book and it was excellent in the areas covered, but it missed the largest part of the US PNW geographic area - the high deserts and dry land conifer forests East of the Cascades in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. As one born and raised in the Northwest, I would really like someone to write a book that acknowledged and showed the styles of architecture and interior design found in places like Pendleton and White Swan.

Most of the PNW is not wet and cloudy, but drier with a harsh and stark beauty that can clearly be seen on the old highway between Ellensburg and Yakima, or cruising between Bend and Madras. Or in the forested places near La Grande and in Northern Idaho. There is the Horse Heaven and Pend Orielle country as well, which have their own forms of architecture that pay tribute to a beautiful and fascinating, and not always kind country.

I wish for a book on PNW style that covers more than the narrow coastal strips and Willamette Valley.

It is obvious Ann Wall Frank loves homes. Her beautifully written text is like poetry, and the photography is stunning. It is a must have for anyone who cherishes making a house a home. The humor, warmth, and intelligence of Ann Frank's writing style sets this book apart from others of its kind. We in the northwest are proud of our style, and Northwest Style captures who we are perfectly. Encore!

Who knew the Pacific Northwest had such an eclectic range of home styles, from Japanese influenced designs to rustic log cabins, to stunning urban lofts. This book is written in an accessible (versus snobby) style, warmed by humor and with an irreverent eye to the iconoclastic bent of the nation's current power center. Beautiful photographs and "real" homeowners--not royalty or billionaires.

If you're looking for the TEXT written by Cotton Mather -- This is NOT it!! It is a commentary on Mather!...
It's difficult to find a copy of Magnalia Christi Americana. This may be helpful for those who want to hear someone else's analysis of history.
For those of us who want to make our own analysis, look elsewhere.