Praise for California Lizards and How to Find Them:
"Unlike many supposedly traditional field guides nowadays, Lizards is small and designed to be portable, with rounded edges that won't snag in your cargo shorts. The book also focuses on a question often neglected in similar volumes: How do you find these little guys in the first place? Taylor packs her book with beautiful photos of coast horned lizards (aka 'horny toads,' who really can shoot blood out of their eye sockets) and fence lizards (the states ubiquitous 'blue-bellies'), as well as compelling stories about sighting these creatures over her years taking students out into the field." Robert Ito, New York Times
"This guide joyfully celebrates the beauty and quirkiness of our native lizards. It makes you want to explore and watch these amazing creatures' wild behavior. It invites the naturalist to be both playful and rigorous. Learn where to go, how to explore, and delightful details to watch for." John Muir Laws, author of The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling
"Emily Taylor provides answers to any lizard questions you probably have ever had, doesn't use jargon so the content is easily understandable, and helps readers make informed decisions about whether to try and catch lizards or to leave them be. Even if you dont want to go looking for lizards, if you have a curiosity about the natural world this book belongs on your shelf." Earyn McGee, herpetologist, science communicator, and creator of #FindThatLizard
"Emily Taylor's books are indispensable. What Taylor has done and continues to do for popularizing California herpetology is unparalleled." Obi Kaufmann, author of The California Field Atlas and The Deserts of California
Praise for California Snakes and How to Find Them by Emily Taylor (2024):
"I've loved snakes since childhood and am thrilled to now have this gorgeous book as my companion to finding snakes wherever a walk on the wild side takes me." Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Backyard Bird Chronicles
"For anyone who loves snakes, or who wants to love them, Emily Taylor's California Snakes and How to Find Them is packed with facts in reader- friendly prose by one of the worlds leading snake biologists and conservationists. The utility and emotional impact of this book are further enhanced by some of the most evocative photographs of snakes I've ever seen, spanning technically perfect closeups of heads to stunning images of individuals in their species-typical habitats. California Snakes sets a new high bar for nature education, and I look forward to future volumes about other animal groups." Harry W. Greene, author of Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature and Tracks and Shadows: Field Biology as Art
"Emily Taylor's enthusiasm and love for snakes shine through every sentence of California Snakes and How to Find Them. Her engaging personal stories, authoritative information, and spectacular photographs will charm snake-lovers and future snake-lovers alike. See you in the field, armed with persistence, luck, and knowledge. Happy herping!" Marty Crump, author of Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder's Fork and Lizards Leg: The Lore and Mythology of Amphibians and Reptiles
