"Horned 'toads' have long inspired curious humans, from ancient Indian rock artists and the earliest Spanish explorers to modern scientists. These lizards specialize on ants for food, employ distinctive defensive tactics for different enemies, arch their bodies to collect rainwater, and exhibit numerous other adaptations to arid environments. Wade Sherbrooke's wonderful book, packed with facts and personal insights, will give everyone from lay naturalists to seasoned field biologists a new appreciation for these magically bizarre animals."—Harry W. Greene, author of Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature "Written in language understandable by anyone, Sherbrooke's newly revised little book on horned lizards is an exceedingly useful reference that covers most of what is known about these interesting and unusual lizards."—Eric R. Pianka, author of The Lizard Man Speaks "Wade Sherbrooke has provided in this very readable book a concise introduction to the evolution and natural history of the horned lizards, their impact on human art, and their future in an increasingly human-dominated planet. No one has more first-hand knowledge of the life history of horned lizards than Dr. Sherbrooke, so this book represents more than a summary; Sherbrooke provides insight into the life and times of horned lizards as no one else could. Amateur and professional alike will find much to enjoy about this book."—Darrel Frost, American Museum of Natural History Praise for the first edition: "[This is] the horned lizard bible deluxe."—Coevolution

The most thorough treatment of lizards of the United States and Canada when first published in 1946, Handbook of Lizards has become a landmark among herpetologists and lizard specialists. Hobart M. Smith spent years compiling and organizing information on 136 species of lizards for this classic study. With more than 300 illustrations, including black-and-white photographs, labeled drawings, range maps, and illustrated keys, this volume serves as a still-relevant and convenient reference guide to the study of North American lizards. Darrel Frost, a prominent lizard specialist, provides a foreword for the 1995 paperback edition that underscores the work's relevance for herpetology today. In the first section, Smith covers in concise fashion the habits, life history, habitats, methods of collection and preservation, and structural features of lizards. The second section of the book considers each species under topics that are conveniently arranged for studying both living lizards and laboratory specimens: range, type, locality, size, color, scalation, recognition characters, habitat and habits, and references. Smith also discusses problems for further study and gives recommendations for special investigations of each species. The book concludes with an extensive bibliography.