About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
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Description
A rollicking ride full of passion, adventure, and biology into the wild world of snakes and amphibians and the scientists who study them.
Snakebit traces the author's journey from a childhood fascination with snakes, through academic flirtation, to professional association with some of the world's greatest herpetologists. It leads the reader through desert, swamp, jungle, and lab to reveal the strange world of these cryptic creatures and the often stranger fraternity that pursues them.
Both celebrating and sending up the science and philosophy surrounding what surely seems insane to some, Snakebit offers a headlong, fun-for-all read packed with personalities, history, geography, culture, and an eclectic mix of locales. Along the way, the reader is served a generous helping of saccharine-free science, from modern evolutionary theory to unisexuality and biodiversity, seasoned with more than a dash of humor. Also available in paperback.
Editorial Reviews
A haphazard tour through the natural history of snakes and amphibians enlivened with vivid anecdotes that will make everyone who has ever dreamed of an Indiana Jones-style career glad they chose a desk job over the jungle. —Globe & Mail
Part memoir, part sociological investigation of herpetologist culture, Anthony explores what it means to be snakebit. —Publishers Weekly
Leslie Anthony leads the reader through desert and jungle to reveal the strange world of snakes and the often stranger fraternity that pursues them. —Vancouver Sun
Anthony's writing style is engaging and his insights into the herpetological community and biology of amphibians and reptiles are genuine and accurate . . . The exotic locations are made all the more exotic by the expedition members and the author's ability to tell a good story.—Herplit, Journal from the Society for the Study of Amphibians
Anthony blends science writing with travelogue and history in this learned but light-hearted memoir. —Georgia Straight
A fascinating and often thrilling peek into the world of herpetology. —Edmonton Journal
Leslie Anthony's takes scientists out of the world of labcoats and pocket protectors as he details fieldwork that would fit right into an Indiana Jones adventure film, but he never lets us forget that these are highly trained people doing important work. —Vancouver Sun
A trove of smart, stylish writing about linguistics, biology, geography and mythology—as well as snake lovers with missing digits, hysterical gardeners and church ladies. —The Tyee
Snakebit is a romp through the world of snakes and those that study them. Witty, serious and a reminder of the wonder of nature and those that study it, it's a must for the naturalist in all of us. —Owen Sound Times
Out of print
This edition is not currently available in bookstores. Check your local library or search for used copies at Abebooks.
