Graeme Gow's Complete Guide To Australian Snakes
Reference Natural History Nature Photography Australian Fauna Herpetology Outdoor Safety Wildlife Field Guide
Graeme Gow’s 1993 hardcover “Complete Guide to Australian Snakes” is still the go-to field reference for anyone who wants to meet the continent’s 140-plus serpent species face-to-face and walk away informed, not terrified. Every page is packed with Gow’s own colour photographs and diagnostic line drawings that show scale counts, head profiles and venom apparatus in crisp detail—information you simply can’t crowd-source from today’s phone apps. Written in plain, jargon-free English, the book walks young adult and adult readers through safe identification, habitat, behaviour and first-aid, making it an ideal companion for bushwalkers, students, wildlife volunteers and overseas keepers who need an authoritative Australian reference on their shelf.
What sets this copy apart is its sturdy, library-quality binding and intact original dust jacket—rare for a title that spent three decades in tackle boxes and 4-WD glove compartments. The 171-page interior is clean and unmarked: no ex-library stamps, no inscription, no dog-eared corners, just a single discreet mark on the front endpaper noted in the condition report. Because the 1993 edition was never reprinted in this exact large-format hardback, collectors and reptile clubs now actively hunt for presentable copies; finding one with all plates intact and the jacket unfaded is becoming increasingly difficult.
Owning this guide means you can instantly confirm whether the snake on your back step is a harmless common tree snake or a dangerously venomous eastern brown, then follow Gow’s step-by-step advice on what to do next. Beyond safety, the book is a celebration of Australia’s unique herpetofauna, covering pythons as thick as your arm and elapids whose colours rival coral reefs. Whether you’re adding to a natural-history library, prepping for field research or searching for the perfect gift for a reptile-mad friend, Graeme Gow’s classic delivers lasting practical value and a vivid snapshot of Australia’s scaly biodiversity in one well-preserved hardcover package.
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