From the reviews of volume 1, published September, 1989:

"Of absorbing interest." -- Alwyne Wheeler (Archives of Natural History).

"Here is a portrait gallery that to browse will delay your next paper in progress!" -- Joseph Ewan (Taxon).

"An important original contribution to the history of herpetology . . . exacting and exhaustive scholarship, and an unmistakable touch of class." -- Hobart M. Smith (Herpetological Review).

This book consists of three sections, each worldwide in coverage. The first and longest section, by Kraig Adler, is a series of completely new biographies of the leading contributors to herpetology beginning with the author of the first book on the subject, Nicolò Leoniceno (1428–1524). The accounts have a portrait, signature, and references for further interest. These feature 285 herpetologists and also include information about their colleagues and students and many other persons. The comprehensive index encompasses volumes 1 and 2 and covers nearly 1,400 individuals.

Among the biographies included in volume 2 are these:

• Authorities on venomous snakes and antivenoms—Brazil, Calmette, Charas, Fayrer, Fontana, Mitchell, and Noguchi.
  
• Bartram, Bocourt, Cantor, Catesby, David, the Grandidiers, Pallas, Rüppell, the Sarasins, Swinhoe, and others who explored then-unknown continents.
• The classifiers, Blainville, Brongniart, Oppel, and Ray.
  
• Aldrovandi, Bogert, Brongersma, Dickerson, Lichtenstein, McCoy, Wettstein and others who built great museum collections.
  
• The anatomists, Gadow, Gegenbaur, Hyrtl, Lebedkina, Leydig, Rathke, Severino, Tyson, and Wiedersheim.
  
• The artistic team of Sowerby and Lear.
  
• Experts on diseases and cures, Elkan and Reichenbach-Klinke.
  
• Popular writers, among them Behler, Bellairs, the Conants, Hopley, the Mintons, Oliver, Rose, Topsell, and Worrell.
  Coverage is global: Africa (El-Toubi, FitzSimons, Power), Asia (Chang, .a`o, Gasperetti, Gharpurey, Hoofien, Hora, Hu, Kirtisinghe, Makino, Namiye, Tweedie), Australia (Fry, Lucas, Macleay, Storr), Europe (Ahl, Boscá, Cherchi, Cott, Dely, Eiselt, Flower, Gmelin, Guibé, Guichenot, Hediger, Hellmich, Hillenius, Lataste, Mocquard,

Also included are experts on taxonomic groups such as salamanders (Brame, Green, Rusconi, Twitty, the Wilders, Wolterstorff, Wurffbain), turtles (Caldesi, Hay, Schweigger, Wermuth), and snakes (Fukada, Mell, Saint Girons, Slowinski, Stull, Underwood). The book contains an additional 150 biographies.

The second section, by John S. Applegarth, is an index of 3,603 authors in taxonomic herpetology. This alphabetical list includes the full names, dates, countries of residence, and orders of taxa for everyone who has proposed a new taxon (genus or below, within the living families) or has had a taxon named in their honor. This is a unique resource for zoologists, historians, and librarians. In less than two decades (since the 1989 edition), the number of persons covered has increased by nearly 50 percent.

The third section, by Ronald Altig, is a listing of herpetologists giving the names of their doctoral university, their major professor, and the date of their degree. This extensive revision is three times longer than the 1989 edition. The information is arranged in such a manner that the academic lineages can be followed from generation to generation, both forward and backward in time. 3,810 names are included and fully indexed.

Non SSAR members may order here.

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Orders may also be sent to: Breck Bartholomew, P.O. Box 58517, Salt Lake City, Utah 84158–0517, USA (telephone and fax: area code 801, 562-2660; email: ssar@herplit.com). Please make checks payable to SSAR. Overseas orders must be paid in USA funds using a draft drawn on American banks or by International Money Order. Orders may also be charged to MasterCard, Visa, DiscoverCard, or American Express (please provide the account number and card expiration date). A complete list of all Society publications can be obtained on request to Breck Bartholomew.