Simon & Schuster's Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of the World

Simon and Schuster's Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians is one of the most beautifully photographed guides on the market, but also one of the most specific. There are not as many species of newts, salamanders, or snakes mentioned, as in the Peterson Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. Though Simon and Schuster's pales in comparison, it is a solid contribution to field identification. This book contains the species you are most likely to see, as Peterson's contains rarer and uncommon species. There are two editions of this guide, and one is newly updated. I own the decade old edition of this, and this is probably why it is so specific. Buy the new edition, of course, since it is likely that there are more species added to the original print.

For general information and a quality photo of each animal, this is a very hard book to beat. The book contains information on the most popular species kept as pets throughout the world. I have found it usefull in indentification of several species of turtles and lizards. I would highly recommend this book to anyone needing a quick reference for identification, general habitat and basic requirements of a large selection of reptiles and amphibians. This book gets an A+ on my list.