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Serpentine
Lovely hardcover book with photographic portraits of many snake species from around the world. All the photos are on a black background with no text. There is a key at the end of the book with information about each snake. This is a "side table" edition from Australia - smaller format than "coffee table", approx. 7" x 7" x 0.7". Dust jacket is folded (originally, as published!) and wraps around middle of book.
Hardcover
First published March 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 9, 2015
Posted at Shelf Inflicted
I’ve been fascinated by all things reptilian since childhood, and that interest persists today. It’s just an interest, not an obsession, so there’s no need to worry about me filling my apartment with monitor lizards and turning the thermostat to 80 just so they can be comfortable like Ron Huff did.
By the time I reached the sixth grade, I amassed a little collection of books about reptiles and memorized their contents, so I felt pretty confident that I could identify any I came in contact with.
During show and tell, when my teacher was looking for volunteers to get up close and personal with a boa constrictor, my hand shot up. Even though I knew that snakes are not slimy, its warmth and smooth texture still surprised me. I liked the feel of its strength and solidity while it was draped around my neck and wondered why people would fear such magnificent creatures.
Since then, I’ve seen lots of reptiles at zoos, and a furious rattler at Mt. Diablo National Park that was blocking traffic, but didn’t have the opportunity to handle a snake again until I attended a reptile show at PetSmart. Once again, my hand shot up when the handler was looking for volunteers. It turned out I was the only one with a boa constrictor around my neck while all these little kids were watching. Too bad they were missing out on all the fun. My husband was clear across the store playing with a Rottweiler pup named Bruiser and wanted nothing to do with me while I was wearing the boa necklace.
This book is all kinds of awesome! The plain black background enhances the color, texture, beauty, and graceful motion of a wide variety of snakes. There is a nice introduction by William T. Vollmann and a glossary featuring each breed’s vital stats. It looks great on my coffee table and I’m sad about having to lug this great big book back to the library.
I’ve been fascinated by all things reptilian since childhood, and that interest persists today. It’s just an interest, not an obsession, so there’s no need to worry about me filling my apartment with monitor lizards and turning the thermostat to 80 just so they can be comfortable like Ron Huff did.
By the time I reached the sixth grade, I amassed a little collection of books about reptiles and memorized their contents, so I felt pretty confident that I could identify any I came in contact with.
During show and tell, when my teacher was looking for volunteers to get up close and personal with a boa constrictor, my hand shot up. Even though I knew that snakes are not slimy, its warmth and smooth texture still surprised me. I liked the feel of its strength and solidity while it was draped around my neck and wondered why people would fear such magnificent creatures.
Since then, I’ve seen lots of reptiles at zoos, and a furious rattler at Mt. Diablo National Park that was blocking traffic, but didn’t have the opportunity to handle a snake again until I attended a reptile show at PetSmart. Once again, my hand shot up when the handler was looking for volunteers. It turned out I was the only one with a boa constrictor around my neck while all these little kids were watching. Too bad they were missing out on all the fun. My husband was clear across the store playing with a Rottweiler pup named Bruiser and wanted nothing to do with me while I was wearing the boa necklace.
This book is all kinds of awesome! The plain black background enhances the color, texture, beauty, and graceful motion of a wide variety of snakes. There is a nice introduction by William T. Vollmann and a glossary featuring each breed’s vital stats. It looks great on my coffee table and I’m sad about having to lug this great big book back to the library.
June 28, 2015
One of the most gorgeous books in existence. A coffee-table book filled with pictures of snakes and accompanying quotes about the nature of good and evil. A true work of art - so beautiful. Highly recommended.
P.S. I just had my friend read this, and she said "They should have left all the quotes out. Snakes aren't evil, they're just creatures." I loved the quotes, but I can see her point - I don't think snakes are "evil," either.
So, there you go. Two people (who both don't "like" snakes) really enjoyed and appreciated this book.
P.S. I just had my friend read this, and she said "They should have left all the quotes out. Snakes aren't evil, they're just creatures." I loved the quotes, but I can see her point - I don't think snakes are "evil," either.
So, there you go. Two people (who both don't "like" snakes) really enjoyed and appreciated this book.
July 14, 2013
Absolutely beautiful. Provided, of course, that you like snakes. Which I do.
Snakes, all photographed in achingly clear detail, each jewel-like scale highlighted. Very little text, but what there is is perfect. There were lots of varieties of snake that I'd never heard of, and I raised a reptile fanatic.
Words fail me, trying to describe this book. Just: if you like snakes, even a little, you should get this.
Snakes, all photographed in achingly clear detail, each jewel-like scale highlighted. Very little text, but what there is is perfect. There were lots of varieties of snake that I'd never heard of, and I raised a reptile fanatic.
Words fail me, trying to describe this book. Just: if you like snakes, even a little, you should get this.
May 1, 2021
My hope is that this project illuminates the beauty of these immeasurably strange creatures, as we see ourselves reflected in their inhuman eyes - our dreams, both good and evil; our fears, both present and imagined; our humanity, both symbolic and visceral. These exquisite predators embody our fears; they symbolize our mortality. But they are neither good nor evil unto themselves. As we understand them, we come to understand those darker corners of our humanity, and accepting them helps us accept ourselves.
The concept here is simple. The photographer visited a number of private snake collections (because that's a thing, apparently) and nature reserves, and, with the aide of the animals' handlers, photographed them mostly from above on a background of black velvet to capture their natural forms as they were left to do their snaky thing in front of his camera lens. It appears no snakes were harmed in the making of this collection, though there is a very impressive photo of a boa skeleton smack in the middle of the book. One (1) alligator does appear to have been harmed in the making of this collection, having presumably made a nice meal for the reticulated python. And one (1) photographer was emphatically harmed in the making of this collection, having a received a (dry) bite during the session with the black mamba. (Learning this detail is absolutely the only reason to bother with the inane introduction by William T. Vollmann.)
The results are incredible. Absolutely one of the best art books and best naturalist books ever. The worldwide assortment of snakes included is a delight. (I was especially happy to see several rattlesnakes, along with many species I had no idea existed.) The photos are presented by themselves, with no scientific information on the subjects. (That is found underneath thumbnails in the back of the book, so if you want to read the science and see the big picture, you do have to do a bit of book flipping, and this is a big, heavy book.) The resulting effect is of being alone in the room with a snake. As you turn each page, it is a thrill to see which direction the new serpent is facing, towards you or away, and whether it is a biter or a squeezer, or even if it will be one of the double headers that showcase different individuals of the same or similar varieties. A few snakes lift themselves from their prone positions to eye you from striking position. (Mostly the ones you would expect; the man likes cobras.) The photos themselves are, without exception, unfailingly beautiful.
I do have a few small quibbles. I wish photos with more common coloration had been included along with every photo of albino individuals. (I didn't even recognize the western diamond back at first.) I have already mentioned the necessity of flipping pages to read with the identifying information from the back, which I very much did do for the second read. The sparse scattering of quotes leans hard into the snake as symbol from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is a decision I neither applaud nor decry; it didn't really add anything to the book. And negative stars for Vollmann. (Do literary men ever think about how unpleasant it is for women to encounter their random musings about lady bits in our art books? Don't answer that; it was a rhetorical question.) But infinite stars for beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful snakes. So it all works out fine.
This is a rhinoceros viper, and also a totally stunning beauty!
The concept here is simple. The photographer visited a number of private snake collections (because that's a thing, apparently) and nature reserves, and, with the aide of the animals' handlers, photographed them mostly from above on a background of black velvet to capture their natural forms as they were left to do their snaky thing in front of his camera lens. It appears no snakes were harmed in the making of this collection, though there is a very impressive photo of a boa skeleton smack in the middle of the book. One (1) alligator does appear to have been harmed in the making of this collection, having presumably made a nice meal for the reticulated python. And one (1) photographer was emphatically harmed in the making of this collection, having a received a (dry) bite during the session with the black mamba. (Learning this detail is absolutely the only reason to bother with the inane introduction by William T. Vollmann.)
The results are incredible. Absolutely one of the best art books and best naturalist books ever. The worldwide assortment of snakes included is a delight. (I was especially happy to see several rattlesnakes, along with many species I had no idea existed.) The photos are presented by themselves, with no scientific information on the subjects. (That is found underneath thumbnails in the back of the book, so if you want to read the science and see the big picture, you do have to do a bit of book flipping, and this is a big, heavy book.) The resulting effect is of being alone in the room with a snake. As you turn each page, it is a thrill to see which direction the new serpent is facing, towards you or away, and whether it is a biter or a squeezer, or even if it will be one of the double headers that showcase different individuals of the same or similar varieties. A few snakes lift themselves from their prone positions to eye you from striking position. (Mostly the ones you would expect; the man likes cobras.) The photos themselves are, without exception, unfailingly beautiful.
I do have a few small quibbles. I wish photos with more common coloration had been included along with every photo of albino individuals. (I didn't even recognize the western diamond back at first.) I have already mentioned the necessity of flipping pages to read with the identifying information from the back, which I very much did do for the second read. The sparse scattering of quotes leans hard into the snake as symbol from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is a decision I neither applaud nor decry; it didn't really add anything to the book. And negative stars for Vollmann. (Do literary men ever think about how unpleasant it is for women to encounter their random musings about lady bits in our art books? Don't answer that; it was a rhetorical question.) But infinite stars for beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful snakes. So it all works out fine.
This is a rhinoceros viper, and also a totally stunning beauty!
August 30, 2013
As a child I loved snakes. Like most children I had a strange fascination with them that terrified my parents. As an adult, my fascination subsided and fear set in. What if I encountered a snake while walking through the woods? What is my dog was bit by one in the yard? I lost my enthrall.
When I saw Serpentine I knew it would constantly go out. Why? As I stated above, children love snakes. Anything on snakes is always going to check out. When it came in I was surprised to find that it was more of a fine arts book than educational.
I decided to check this out and give it a good look through. I didn't just want to skim it. I really wanted to understand where Mark Laita was going with his work. All the photographs are set against a black backdrop. Laita featured the photograph on the right page and the left side blank. The lack of image on the left side of the book reiterated Laita's goal of focus on the serpent. Occasionally Laita would include a quote on the left side that focused discussed the misinterpretation of evil.
These quotes added a stimulating touch that gets the reader rethinking their perception of snakes. As I mentioned early that even though I loved snakes as a kid, I feared them as an adult. Nothing happened to me to earn this fear. I just lost my fearless nature as I grew into an adult. Ask anyone you know if they are scared of snakes and 9.5 out of 10 will say "HELL YES!" If you ask anyone in my family about snakes and they will say "Get my hoe!" (old family joke about my great-grandmother killing snakes with a hoe)
The photographs themselves are stunning. The various position of the snakes, the twisted movements of their bodies, adds to the artist nature of the images. Not only are these creatures created strikingly gorgeous, but Laita's photographs add a touch of elegance to these misunderstood serpents.
As I mentioned before this is more of a fine arts book, but I don't want you to think that there was no educational material. At the end of the book, Laita created a visual glossary where every image is represented again (in a smaller version) and the basic information is provided: Name, Family, Binomial, Other Names, Location, Habitat, Length, Feeding, and Breeding. Though this information is basic it does answer the basic questions people might have: Is this snake poisonous? Where does it live? How big does it get?
If you are able to view Serpentine, I highly recommend it. Please be sure to take the time to study the photographs and also the format of the book. Laita does a wonderful job of presenting these creatures in a beautiful light. You won't find any fang shots or a scary striking serpent. Whether or not your perception of these creature changes, you might find yourself admitting their magnificence and the beauty of the nature that created them.
March 6, 2013
Without a doubt, the best snake photography I've ever seen. Well worth the price tag.
July 12, 2013
Beautiful amazing photographs! I look through the whole thing while I should have been doing something else. As soon as I set it aside I wanted to pick it up and look through it all over again.
November 1, 2013
Beautiful.
To say that I "read" this book is hilarious.
I miss Julius.
To say that I "read" this book is hilarious.
I miss Julius.
March 12, 2014
Snakes and more snakes. Gorgeous, beautiful photographs of snakes, usually with a black backdrop, never in their natural habitat.
April 21, 2013
Amazing photography.... So beautiful.
November 12, 2021
A really beautiful book, full of stunning photographs of snakes. I would have given it five stars, but it is slightly spoiled by the odd quotes that accompany the pictures - many of them reference evil, as though implying snakes are inherently bad despite their beauty, which is obviously untrue (and irritating to snake lovers). There is also a photo of a boa constrictor incorrectly captioned "reticulated python." Still, I recommend it for the photos, which any snake fan will appreciate.
June 3, 2018
Interesting theme for photography. It gives you a different perspective of snakes not as harmful creatures but creatures of beauty. I definitely appreciate snakes more after reading this book.
May 11, 2020
Beautiful book. Recommend for those who love snakes, or are curious about them.
August 20, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews