Whatever pet you are going to keep, the starting point is always to do some research before you buy it.  There is a huge range of books available from basic beginners guides to in depth specialist manuals.  They all provide the information you need to ensure that you will be able to look after your chosen pet.

AVS Series

This is one of the most popular series of books.  In recent years AVS have revised and reprinted the majority of its range to ensure it contains the most up to date information.  These books are well written by acknowledged experts and usually contain numerous line drawings and black and white plates as well as a few colour pictures.  Highly recommended.

Titles Include: Leopard Gecko manual, Bearded Dragon Manual, Corn Snake Manual, Popular Tortoises, Boa Constrictor Manual, Ball Python Maual, Savannah & Grassland Monitors, Arachnomania, Tokay Geckos, Care of Kingsnakes, Care of Milksnakes, Essential Care of Chameleons, Understanding Reptile Parasites,  Care and Breeding of Chameleons, Whats Wrong With My Snake,  Popular Monitors & Tegus, Green Iguana Manual, Box Turtle Manual, Green Anoles, Water Dragons, Horned Frogs, Red Eared Sliders, Rough Green Tree Snakes, Care of Land Hermit Crabs, Burmese Pythons, Garter and Water Snakes, Popular Tree Frogs, Whats Wrong With My Iguana, Lizard Keepers Handbook, Design of Desert Vivaria.

Barrons

Barrons have been producing general pet care books for many years but their Reptile, Amphibian and Invertebrate titles are relatively new.  Packed full of concise, high quality information and lots of colour pictures these books are set to become an extremely popular range.

Reptile Keepers Guides (RKG), give a general introduction to the most popular pet species.  Titles include Corn Snakes, Leopard & Fat Tailed Geckos, Bearded Dragons, Green Iguana, Ball Python, Milksnakes and Kingsnakes, Horned and African Bullfrogs & Red Eye and other Leaf frogs.

Pet Owners Manuals (POM) are a more detailed look at various species.  This series expands on the general information provided by the introductory RKG series.  Titles include: Chameleons, Iguanas, Geckos, Frogs, Toads and Treefrogs, Lizards in the Terrarium, Monitors and Related Lixards,  Corn Snakes & Red Rat Snakes, Kingsnakes & Milksnakes, Snakes,  Boas,  Pythons,  Newts & Salamanders, Anoles, Basalisks & Water Dragons, Tortoises & Box Turtles, Turtles,  The Terrarium,  Tarantulas & Other Arachnids,  Scorpions,  Hermit Crabs.  (due to demand we also stock Mice and Sugar Gliders)

Barrons Handbooks are in depth manuals that explore groups of animals in detail. Titles include: Non-Venomous Snakes (hb),  Terrarium & Cage Construction & Care,  The Tarantula Keepers Guide,  The Iguana Handbook,  Lizard Care from A to Z,  The New Chameleon Handbook,  Turtles and Terrapins.

TFH

TFH probably produce more Reptile and associated books than any other publisher.  The real plus point to these books is the unique photo effect finish to the colour plates.  This gives them a full gloss "photo" effect.  "Jewels of the Rainforest" probably illustrates this more than any other book with the hundreds of images of the Poison Arrow frogs seeming to leap from the page.

The books range from simple introductory booklets like the "your first" series, through the detailed general care books, like the immensely popular RE series, right up to in depth specialist volumes such as the 3 book set "The Biology Husbandry and Health Care of Reptiles", "Jewels of the Rainforest" and the "Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians".  There is a TFH book on every one of the most popular pet species and many of the more unusual ones, too many titles to list here but you can find a full list on the "Product List" link from the Hardware home page (Hardware)

T-Rex 

These basic guides are written by Jon Coote, one of the UK's top herpetologists and product development manager for T-Rex.  They provide an excellent introduction to keeping a range of Reptile/Invertebrate species.  Numerous black and white plates.

a: Garter Snakes and their allies

b: Boa Constrictors

c:  Leopard Geckos

d:  Tarantulas

e:  Green Iguanas (written by Dave Blatchford)

f:  Green Anoles

g:  Ball Pythons

Carapace Press

Produced by the Tortoise Trust these books are aimed at Tortoise and Turtle keepers.  Written by some of the most highly respected authors in the field of Chelonea husbandry there are no better books when it comes to the care of this demanding group.

Titles include: Practical Encyclopaedia of Keeping and Breeding Tortoises and Turtles, Tortoise Trust Guide to Tortoises and Turtles, Care and Breeding of the African Spurred Tortoise, Tortoise Trust Care Sheet Collection, Tortoise Trust Feeding manual, A beginners Guide to leopard Tortoise.

Cassell/Blandford

Cassells range of books include the extremely popular "of the world" series which gives a broad overview of a range of species.  "..of the World" titles include: Frogs and Toads, Snakes, Crocodiles and Alligators, Turtles and Tortoises, Insects, Spiders, and Living Snakes.  Other titles include: The Care of Reptiles and Amphibians,, Keeping and Breeding Snakes, Keeping and Breeding Lizards, Really Radical Reptiles, The Encyclopaedia of Snakes. 

Chimaira

Chimaira produce specialist books covering specific groups of animals or areas of the world.  Ideal if you want to expand your knowledge.  Titles include: Monitor Lizards, Herpetofauna of West Africa (Amphibians), Treefrogs of Africa, Rhacodactylus-Biology, Natural History and Husbandry, Snakes of Sumatra, Czech Reptiles and Amphibians, Amphibians and Reptiles of Jordan.

Miscellaneous Books