|
1-10 of 27 messages
|
Page 1 of 3
Next
|
|
Snakes and Snake Hunting - Carl Kauffeld
|
Reply
|
|
by Cro on June 18, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Just a little survey of my own.
I promise that it will not involve your political affiliations, LOL !
At the Columbia Reptile Show this weekend, I was trying to sell reptile books, snake hooks, cork bark, and a few other items.
I had a copy of "Snakes and Snake Hunting" and a copy of "The Keeper and the Kept" on my table, both by Carl Kauffeld, as well as a copy of Ditmars "Snakes of the World." The books were the most expensive items I had for sale, but still priced way lower than you would find them on Amazon.com or Ebay.
So, anyway, this guy wearing a funny hat comes up to the table,(you would all know who he is, as he is a member of this site), and he says " is there something special about those books ?"
At that point, I realised that not all of the folks here are field herpers, or even that knowledgeable about the historic herpers of the past. Many of these folks are new to reptile keeping, and are mostly into keeping exotics like reticulated pythons.
So, the point of this survey, is to find out just how many of you out there are familiar with names like Raymond Lee Ditmars, or Karl P. Schmidt, or Robert Inger, or C.J.P. Ionides, or Carl Kauffeld, or Manny Rubio, or Laurance Klauber, or Sherman Menton, Findley G. Russel, or Grace Olive Wiley, or Howard K. Gloyd, or Clifford Pope, or Bill Haast ?
I know that some of the younger members of the site do not know these folks, and I have given copys of "Snakes and Snake Hunting" to several of my young friends here.
However, when I run into 40 year olds who do not know these famous herpetologists, I am a bit worried. Am I wasting my time trying to sell older books to folks who have no appreciation of herping in the past ? Has the instant gratification of Google robbed young folks from the desire to read books any more ?
So my survey question is this: Do you folks know the herpers of the past? Do you gave a sh-- about the herpers of the past? Do you folks read books anymore?
Have you folks read a herp book in the last year?
Your answers are greatly appreciated.
Best Regards JohnZ
|
| |
|
RE: Snakes and Snake Hunting - Carl Kauffeld
|
Reply
|
|
by KingCobraFan on June 18, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
John, as to the questions in the last paragraph of your post, my answers are yes, yes, yes, and yes.
Bill Huseth
|
| |
|
RE: Snakes and Snake Hunting - Carl Kauffeld
|
Reply
|
|
by Buzztail1 on June 19, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Raymond Lee Ditmars - yes
Karl P. Schmidt - yes
Robert Inger - no
C.J.P. Ionides - yes
Carl Kauffeld - yes
Manny Rubio - yes
Laurance Klauber - yes
Sherman Minton - yes
Findley G. Russel - yes
Grace Olive Wiley - yes
Howard K. Gloyd - yes
Clifford Pope - yes
Bill Haast - yes
Am I wasting my time trying to sell older books to folks who have no appreciation of herping in the past?
Perhaps
Has the instant gratification of Google robbed young folks from the desire to read books any more?
Probably some of them.
So my survey question is this:
Do you folks know the herpers of the past? - Some of them.
Do you gave a sh-- about the herpers of the past? - Yes
Do you folks read books anymore? - Yes
Have you folks read a herp book in the last year? - Yes
I have books by or about most of the people on your list. I have even had the great pleasure to have met three of the individuals on your list. Excellent questions.
Karl
|
| |
|
RE: Snakes and Snake Hunting - Carl Kauffeld
|
Reply
|
|
by GREGLONGHURST on June 19, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
So, the point of this survey, is to find out just how many of you out there are familiar with names like Raymond Lee Ditmars, or Karl P. Schmidt, or Robert Inger, or C.J.P. Ionides, or Carl Kauffeld, or Manny Rubio, or Laurence Klauber, or Sherman Minton, Findlay E. Russell, or Grace Olive Wiley, or Howard K. Gloyd, or Clifford Pope, or Bill Haast ?
I have books on my shelf writeen by or about..or both.. all of the above with the exception of Wiley. She is, however, mentioned in some of those books. Madge Minton co-authored some of the books Sherman wrote.
One name that is glaringly omitted from your list is Roger Conant.
Judging from some of the questions we get on this & other herp boards, I am afraid the upcoming generation is not reading books.
~~Greg~~
|
| |
|
RE: Snakes and Snake Hunting - Carl Kauffeld
|
Reply
|
|
by MikeB on June 19, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
I first read Ditmars' autobiography at 11 or 12, and a few years ago I found a clean copy of it in an estate sale. It's on my shelf beside "Snakes of the World." I know most of the others . . . but the central question is, are you wasting time trying to sell books to a generation under 35 or so that uses the internet for everything and thinks books (no matter what title or author or subject) are as antiquated as sources of information as papyrus scrolls.
|
| |
|
RE: Snakes and Snake Hunting - Carl Kauffeld
|
Reply
|
|
by Atrox788 on June 19, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Greg, you rule. I was thinking the same thing about Roger Conant ^^
As for your question cro, yes I do read these books and yes, I think there is a need for them. I grew into this hobby when it had just gotten onto the internet. At that time the only info available was from older books and private individuals who came to the sites. I think most of us back then were concerned with both feild and captive studies and had the overall mentality that you needed to be profesional when dealing with venomous reptiles (not meaning that you needed a degree but that you needed to be of a profesional mind state).
The problem I see now has 2 sides. The first is main stream TV. People see everyone and their mother handleing venomous snakes and think, "If he can do it, so can I". Its almost become more of any ego trip then anything else. Combine that with easy acsess to these animals and immoral morons who dont screen their buyers, well, here we are now. Why should they need to know the scientific aspect of the hobby when they can go up to a dealer and say "I like that rattler, how much?".
The other issue is like you said, people who were into exotic non vens began crossing over. Their interest was always from a captive stand point, not the over all biology for the animals. Their concern is having that pretty reptile in a cage and showing it off instead of understanding the animals through and through. These people are what I refer to as Hobbiest, not herpers. Herpers I feel enjoy feild time as much, if not more so then captive time. The others are only concerned with the next new morph.
As how this pertains to your littature, all of the books you mentioned, more or less have a heavy reliance on feild studies and observations. That being said it hard for Mr/Mrs Hobbiest to find the time and money to invest in such a book when they do not care about going out into the feild. Why would they want to know about the life and habitat of C.viridis when they are only concerned about their captive, albino C.atrox?
Most people in the hobby nowadays have no buisness in it and dont know the difference between Howard Gloyd and Howard Johnsons. Thats the problem.
|
| |
|
RE: Snakes and Snake Hunting - Carl Kauffeld
|
Reply
|
|
by jared on June 19, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
In 2002 I was staying at the humbolt field institute in Maine with a college group who on the weekends was allowed to explore what we considered "town", in the process I was dragged to and antique shack (literally) and decided since Im there I may as well see what books they have. 1 maybe 2 other herp books, along with a dusty yet in good condition copy of Kaffelds Snakes and snake hunting and among all the 2 dollar books, this one was $30. With my last 20 I offered the Mainer all the cash in my pocket and came away with one of my favorite herp books to this day.
Jared
|
| |
|
RE: Snakes and Snake Hunting - Carl Kauffeld
|
Reply
|
|
by AquaHerp on June 19, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I think I read all of these by the time I was 12.
At the risk of getting pounced upon here, let me go out on a limb and say that you are indeed right Jon. Many of today’s generation are what I call "keyboard ecologists". Most have yet to set foot in the wild habitat of these animals, or have actually seen one outside of a deli cup. Most do their herping via the internet and the luxury of air-conditioned expos. This is not to say that "all of the younger generation is this way. I know quite a few that are some pretty hard-core herpers! They remind me of myself at that age, bounding over jagged rocks and slithering through the muck for a 8" Nerodia that I can't say I would cross the gravel path for nowadays...LOL...<showing my decrepit old age here>.
It's a different generation, but I agree that a 40-something herper who doesn't know the name Kauffield must have been in a cave or a sterile room growing up! Pity
DH
|
| |
|
RE: Snakes and Snake Hunting - Carl Kauffeld
|
Reply
|
|
by GREGLONGHURST on June 19, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
One more author, though not as widely published nor as nationally known, was H. Bernard Bechtel. A helluva herp. You guys from Georgia may have known him, or of him.
AquaHerp..you are either not as old as you say, or used the wrong genus..back then it was a Natrix. Heehee
~~Greg~~
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
