January, 2011

Freshwater Turtles and Terrapins: The Complete Guide. Andrea Luison and Stefano
Redaelli. 2008. Testudo Edizione, Ravena. 207 pages, 100+ color and black/white photos, maps,
and figures. English text. €23.00. (Paperback, pictorial glossy wraps.) 150 × 211 mm.
ISBN 9788895662015.
Chuck Schaffer
13811 Tortuga Point Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32225 USA [Chelonian1@aol.com]

The format of Freshwater Turtles and Terrapins: The
Complete Guide is something I wish more authors would
try. It is a bilingual (Italian and English) book by Andrea
Luison and Stefano Redaelli. Too many texts from the con-
tinent fail to reach American shores in a language most US
readers can easily understand. It is a comprehensive guide
covering not just what we have come to expect from most
chelonian literature—natural history, behavioral, biological,
demographic, and associated data—but also a great deal of
captive material. With an introduction by Andrea Franzoi
and a forward by the esteemed Harald Artner, it features a
very easy to use table of contents, which compensates for
the lack of an index.
Each of these is clearly organized into sections dealing
with distribution and habitat, size, habits, rest (hibernation),
husbandry, feeding, reproduction, and curious features. The
extensive suggested readings section is also divided geo-
graphically. It closes with a 5-page bibliography, (by no
means as extensive as Ernst and Lovich, but certainly more
than adequate), and photo credits. Photos and range maps
are clear (although there are some minor discrepancies in
noted ranges).

This book is easy to use and to read (with a few no-

table, but acceptable English irregularities, which are a
small price to pay to have such an informative volume
available to one less than fluent in Italian). The book will
appeal to a wide audience, ranging from herpetologists to
amateur keepers. It is available in both English and Ital-
ian editions.

The book opens with a section on enclosures, which is well

organized and splendidly illustrated. It is followed by the care
sheets/species accounts that deal with 70 different species,
divided into geographical regions, each also focusing on the
captive side—biology, behavior, diet, and breeding strategies. Available online from www.breedingturtles.com.

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