First, let me say that I have known Lee Grismer for many years and I know the passion he has for the Baja Peninsula and its natural wonders. I have been waiting a long, long time for this book. When I received it, I scanned the book and planned to read it cover to cover when I had the time. In the last weeks, I made the time and have nearly finished this tome.
Dr. Grismer has put his heart and soul into making this book the best herpetological reference on Baja California, bar none. Baja is a mysterious place with many influences flowing into it from the Pacific, the Colorado Desert and mainland México. In this book, Dr. Grismer takes great pains to delineate the geological influences which have helped to shape this strange land and the effects on the herpetology of this 1,000 km long peninsula.
I marvel at the time he has put in studying the many organisms extant on the peninsula and his obviously meticulous note taking. I am in awe of the relationships he has built up with local ranchers and fishermen over the last quarter century. Local people are a great source of information and Lee has used their knowledge and consciousness to build a reference source the likes of which has never before been devoted to a similar chunk of land.
I would love to write more but I feel that the book will speak for itself. It is a great read and not nearly as tedious as other scientific works I have read. Just for its reference value, this book deserves to be on the shelf of any serious student of herpetology.
Now, all we need is Field Guide!