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Rattlesnakes
Here are observations and speculations, legends and yarns, even gossip about the habits and dispositions of these extraordinary creatures--rattlesnakes--their reported size, deadliness, and power to charm their natural enemies. Here are descriptions of actual fights to the death between rattlesnakes and other animals and accounts of the strange experiences human beings have had with them, as well as tips on where to find them and how to act when you see one.
Dobie began systematically collecting lore about the rattlesnake world many years ago, using some of it in such regional publications as Southwest Review and incorporating much of it into essays--with the intention of eventually putting together a book about rattlesnakes. Now, in this collection of twenty-two articles, his wish is posthumously fulfilled.
Only Frank Dobie could tell of this fascinating and frightening creature with such wisdom and humor, thereby tempering "the age-old feud between the snake and man." And the rattlesnake--who once aroused fear among even the boldest men in the Old West--can at last be regarded with tolerance, respect, and even affection.
Dobie began systematically collecting lore about the rattlesnake world many years ago, using some of it in such regional publications as Southwest Review and incorporating much of it into essays--with the intention of eventually putting together a book about rattlesnakes. Now, in this collection of twenty-two articles, his wish is posthumously fulfilled.
Only Frank Dobie could tell of this fascinating and frightening creature with such wisdom and humor, thereby tempering "the age-old feud between the snake and man." And the rattlesnake--who once aroused fear among even the boldest men in the Old West--can at last be regarded with tolerance, respect, and even affection.
201 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
1 person is currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
J. Frank Dobie
197 books51 followersCalled the "Storyteller of the Southwest," James Frank Dobie was born in 1888 on his family's cattle ranch in Live Oak County. During his long life, J. Frank Dobie would live astride two worlds: a rugged life on a Texas cattle ranch and the state's modern centers of scholarly learning.
Dobie came to Austin in 1914 to teach at the University of Texas. In time he pioneered an influential course on the literature of the Southwest. By the late 1920s, Dobie discovered his mission: to record and publicize the disappearing folklore of Texas and the greater Southwest. Dobie became secretary of the Texas Folklore Society, a position he held for 21 years.
J. Frank Dobie Dobie was a new kind of folklorist—a progressive activist. He called for UT to admit African-American students in the 1940s—long before the administration favored integration. Dobie's vocal politics led to his leaving the University in 1947, but he continued writing until his death in 1964, publishing over twenty books and countless articles.
The inscription on Dobie's headstone in the Texas State Cemetery reads: "I have come to value liberated minds as the supreme good of life on earth." J. Frank Dobie was not content to simply preserve Southwestern heritage within libraries and museums. He gave life to that heritage and informed generations of Texans about their rich history.
Dobie came to Austin in 1914 to teach at the University of Texas. In time he pioneered an influential course on the literature of the Southwest. By the late 1920s, Dobie discovered his mission: to record and publicize the disappearing folklore of Texas and the greater Southwest. Dobie became secretary of the Texas Folklore Society, a position he held for 21 years.
J. Frank Dobie Dobie was a new kind of folklorist—a progressive activist. He called for UT to admit African-American students in the 1940s—long before the administration favored integration. Dobie's vocal politics led to his leaving the University in 1947, but he continued writing until his death in 1964, publishing over twenty books and countless articles.
The inscription on Dobie's headstone in the Texas State Cemetery reads: "I have come to value liberated minds as the supreme good of life on earth." J. Frank Dobie was not content to simply preserve Southwestern heritage within libraries and museums. He gave life to that heritage and informed generations of Texans about their rich history.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 27, 2023
A collection of tales about rattlesnakes, some humorous and some not so much. All to be taken with a grain of salt.
March 21, 2024
Who doesn't have an absolutely unhinged story about crossing paths with a rattlesnake? Frank gives us fireside tales of such encounters from strangers in all manners of fright to delight
November 25, 2013
great book that reminds me of growing up in Texas - lots of "Texana" in it.
February 11, 2025
Between underground science fiction releases and university press nonfiction books, I've found myself reading quite a few obscure books in the last couple years. *Rattlesnakes* falls into the latter category, but unlike some of the university-published nonfiction I've read, it's not exactly meant for a scholarly audience; it collects folklore of rather dubious factual standing. Hence, it didn't do a lot for me - I've been reading zoology texts which are a little more focused on the facts, which interest me quite a bit more - but I don't think that makes it a bad book. You just need to know what you're getting yourself into. So... let me warn you.
*Rattlesnakes* starts with an introduction where J. Frank Dobie, without introducing himself or explaining anything about his life (which is a shame since he sometimes references his own interesting encounters with rattlesnakes without dropping any context about those encounters), sets the scene by making it clear that he's not here to spill a bunch of rattlesnake facts (that's what other works are for). Instead, he tells frontier stories of large rattlesnakes and frightening rattlesnake dens to try and get us acclimated with the atmosphere of the rattlesnake. Instead of telling us how long measured rattlesnakes tend to be or how much they weigh or their reproductive history, Dobie tries to make us look through the lens that people have been looking at them through for over a thousand years. This may help the average reader, but I was unconvinced since I'm stubborn and, at this point, know what I want from my books about animals (although I didn't necessarily when I got this book as a Christmas gift). It might unlock something in your imagination to help you picture wilder, more exciting days, and if it does, power to you, but... it didn't for me.
Through this unlocked lens you can then peruse another 150-or-so pages of rattlesnakes stories. These stories are broken up into chapters; some of these only contain one story (like "The Mockingbird and the Rattlesnake," which focuses on an obvious duel of the beasts), and some focus on a host around a specific subject, like "Do Rattlesnakes Swallow Their Young?", which captures a bunch of legends about frontiersmen seeing baby snakes slide inside a dead mother's throat or of rattlesnake hunters finding bellies full of still-alive rattlesnake young. Science has a certain answer for you - some snake eggs are born inside the mother's body, and they have to get out somehow - but you won't hear that from Dobie. Instead, you'll hear stories, like you'll hear about rattlesnakes joining white men in hiding spots that somehow end up saving them from Indian attacks. There are also a few segments all dedicated to the violent relations between rattlers and cats/dogs/turkeys and about a rattlesnake that was like a pet. These tales focus on a variety of characters who are briefly laid out and come from a variety of sources. At least, that's what Dobie tells us - we'd have no way or verifying his stories are true.
For me, this was a chore to get through. I didn't feel like I was learning anything and I wasn't invested in anything, let alone our narrator, who only occasionally let his sense of personality shine through. Now, a lot of people will read this and find it charming and easy to digest and pleasant to break up into different reading sessions. If you can do that, and stumble across this out in the wild, maybe it's worth it for you. Since I do think people can get things out of it even though it sure didn't enrich my life, I'll give it a three-star rating and let it skate by with a 6/10. Still, I doubt this is even first-class in its little niche... if you think I'm being too harsh, let me know. But otherwise, I think I'm going to leave before I run out of fresh things left to say. Hopefully next time I read a University of Texas Press book about animals, it's about the animals themselves and not the stories people make up (or rarely, experience) around them. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you around again real soon, pardner...
*Rattlesnakes* starts with an introduction where J. Frank Dobie, without introducing himself or explaining anything about his life (which is a shame since he sometimes references his own interesting encounters with rattlesnakes without dropping any context about those encounters), sets the scene by making it clear that he's not here to spill a bunch of rattlesnake facts (that's what other works are for). Instead, he tells frontier stories of large rattlesnakes and frightening rattlesnake dens to try and get us acclimated with the atmosphere of the rattlesnake. Instead of telling us how long measured rattlesnakes tend to be or how much they weigh or their reproductive history, Dobie tries to make us look through the lens that people have been looking at them through for over a thousand years. This may help the average reader, but I was unconvinced since I'm stubborn and, at this point, know what I want from my books about animals (although I didn't necessarily when I got this book as a Christmas gift). It might unlock something in your imagination to help you picture wilder, more exciting days, and if it does, power to you, but... it didn't for me.
Through this unlocked lens you can then peruse another 150-or-so pages of rattlesnakes stories. These stories are broken up into chapters; some of these only contain one story (like "The Mockingbird and the Rattlesnake," which focuses on an obvious duel of the beasts), and some focus on a host around a specific subject, like "Do Rattlesnakes Swallow Their Young?", which captures a bunch of legends about frontiersmen seeing baby snakes slide inside a dead mother's throat or of rattlesnake hunters finding bellies full of still-alive rattlesnake young. Science has a certain answer for you - some snake eggs are born inside the mother's body, and they have to get out somehow - but you won't hear that from Dobie. Instead, you'll hear stories, like you'll hear about rattlesnakes joining white men in hiding spots that somehow end up saving them from Indian attacks. There are also a few segments all dedicated to the violent relations between rattlers and cats/dogs/turkeys and about a rattlesnake that was like a pet. These tales focus on a variety of characters who are briefly laid out and come from a variety of sources. At least, that's what Dobie tells us - we'd have no way or verifying his stories are true.
For me, this was a chore to get through. I didn't feel like I was learning anything and I wasn't invested in anything, let alone our narrator, who only occasionally let his sense of personality shine through. Now, a lot of people will read this and find it charming and easy to digest and pleasant to break up into different reading sessions. If you can do that, and stumble across this out in the wild, maybe it's worth it for you. Since I do think people can get things out of it even though it sure didn't enrich my life, I'll give it a three-star rating and let it skate by with a 6/10. Still, I doubt this is even first-class in its little niche... if you think I'm being too harsh, let me know. But otherwise, I think I'm going to leave before I run out of fresh things left to say. Hopefully next time I read a University of Texas Press book about animals, it's about the animals themselves and not the stories people make up (or rarely, experience) around them. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you around again real soon, pardner...
March 2, 2017
Rattle Snakes are dangerous, but yet not dangerous at the same time. They benefit us humans in so many shapes and forms. They lower our number of insects all over the country. Rattle snakes eat small rodents, and large insects. After eating one or two small rodents within an hour, can really fill them up. They won't eat for another month or two. They don't chew their food, they swallow it whole. You can see their food inside of then. Once swallowing the animal whole, the animals legs curl up and it stops breathing.
This book was a very good, short book. It taught me lots of great facts, and fun facts I did not know about. Rattle snakes are not as bad as people make them sound. It will rattle its tail if it feels threated. It does that to warm the animal or human next to it. I would rate this book a 10/10. I would recommend this book for ages 10 and older.
This book was a very good, short book. It taught me lots of great facts, and fun facts I did not know about. Rattle snakes are not as bad as people make them sound. It will rattle its tail if it feels threated. It does that to warm the animal or human next to it. I would rate this book a 10/10. I would recommend this book for ages 10 and older.
August 21, 2011
Dobie uses his story telling skills to tell stories about rattlesnakes.
July 29, 2011
an ethnology of rattlesnake s
January 10, 2013
Very entertaining.
April 9, 2014
Non-fiction containing facts and legends about rattlesnakes.
April 9, 2017
Read in preparation for much hiking out West this summer. Hoping I don't need the info, but I at least understand the snake a little more now!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews