New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1992. SIGNED hardcover first edition - A book which "introduces us to a community of rattlesnakes nestled in the heart of the urban Northeast . . Just south of Boston, a range of low, rugged hills interrupts the suburbs. In these Blue Hills lives one of the last populations of timber rattlesnakes - [this book] celebrates their survival with a kaleidoscopic journey through nature, literature, and history . . It includes a spirited defense of an outlaw species, a glance at the hazards of snakebite, an account of a multi-million-dollar development project halted by Crotalus horridus, a travelogue, a collection of tall tales" and an examination of ecology, evolution, folklore, New England history, and American culture. As a kid growing up in a Boston suburb, the Blue Hills was one of my favorite places, so this book was a real pleasure to read. INSCRIBED on the half title page to noted book collector Larry Owens. Small drawings at the head and tail of each chapter. Map endpapers. Notes, index. xii, 340 pp. ISBN: 0-395580846.