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For years, Albert Hazen Wright and Anna Allen Wright travelled extensively, attempting to observe every species of snake in North America in its natural surroundings and collecting data and live specimens. Their exhaustive research resulted in a famous two-volume sourcebook, first published in 1957. Abundantly and painstakingly illustrated by the authors, this personalized natural history organizes for ready reference a wealth of information on American and Canadian snakes.
Across the two volumes of Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada are accounts of more than three hundred species and subspecies, accompanied by photographs, drawings, and distribution maps. Generous excerpts from the authors' field journals give the reader a vivid feeling of some of the satisfactions and conclusions of the Wrights' search.
Volume 2 includes species accounts of nineteen species, from Oxybelis (pike-headed tree snakes) to Sistrurus (ground rattlesnakes, pigmy rattlesnakes, and massasaugas), as well as a glossary and an index for both volumes. Note that Volume 2 does not include the introductory overview of snake biology and behaviour, which can be found in Volume 1.
Albert Hazen Wright (1879-1970) was Professor of Zoology, Emeritus, at Cornell University. In 1955, he was awarded the Eminent Ecologist Award by the Ecological Society of America. Anna Allen Wright (1882-1964) was a recognized authority on the ecology and natural history of amphibians and reptiles.
"Thoroughness, precision, and enthusiasm are traits that shine through the pages of this inspiring summation of a lifetime of experience."
– Nature
