J.G. Schneider’s Historiae Amphibiorum Herpetology at the Dawn of the 19th Century

About this book

The first English translation of Schneider’s Historiae Amphibiorum, originally published 1799–1801 in Latin. This huge and highly annotated text provides a window into the early period of herpetology as an independent discipline, revealing the leading questions of the day, national and personal rivalries, and the ongoing attempt to find a “natural system” of classification.

Schneider was a classical philologist by profession, specialised in translating and interpreting ancient works, but he was also an experienced naturalist of the first order. His discussions on crocodiles, frogs, salamanders, lizards and snakes review virtually all of the herpetological knowledge of the ancient and Medieval worlds, as well as providing his own “modern” insights. 

Featuring:
- A biography of J.G. Schneider with a complete bibliography of his 125+ publications, a list of the 129 amphibian and reptile species he described, and an evaluation of his contributions to herpetology.
- 1748 footnotes providing supplemental information about all of the museum collections (many now lost or destroyed) used by Schneider, biographic details of all of the people he mentioned, bibliographic details of works cited, the current names of Schneider’s species and the whereabouts of his type material.
- 102 original amphibian and reptile descriptions including such iconic taxa as the reticulated python, the saw-scaled viper, the saltwater crocodile and the broad-headed skink.
- Schneider’s contributions to the biology of crocodilians, frogs and toads, and boas and pythons are especially noteworthy.
- Schneider’s original four osteological plates and an additional 275 full-page plates, 150 in colour, including every published illustration (and even some unpublished ones) cited by Schneider, including many beautiful plates from the great works of Albertus Seba, August Roesel von Rosenhof and Mark Catesby, as well as dozens of other sources. 
- An extensive bibliography of more than 930 entries, some dating to the 15th century, including full citations for all of the 344 works cited by Schneider himself, as well as hundreds more related to the interpretive footnotes. 

This edition serves as a massive source-book for all of classical Herpetology before 1800. Its extensive annotations and three fully cross-referenced indices provide unprecedented context and access to the world of amphibians and reptiles as it was known to the generation between the time of Linnaeus and the great flowering of the discipline in the 19th century.

Customer Reviews