A republication of second edition, the original book was a revelation in the field when it was first published in 1956. This superb encyclopedia is as useful for the amateur as the professional herpetologist and remains one of the most complete rattlesnake references ever published. Greene's foreword discusses the intial impact and continuing value of Klauber's work and recounts some of the advances in knowledge of rattlesnake biology during the past 25 years. It also includes an update of rattlesnake taxonomy.
Laurence M. Klauber was an electrical engineer who began seriously studying reptiles in his forties. He volunteered to become the San Diego Zoo's first Curator of Reptiles, and his fascination with snakes and lizards eventually brought him international scientific recognition. He died in 1968 at the age of eighty-four.