"This book is an immediate classic. I had heard of it rumored for years. It is grand indeed and more than fulfilled my expectations." --Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall and The River Swimmer "Tracks and Shadows is a valuable, fascinating, very human book about the making of a field biologist. Harry Greene has lived the life of which I once dreamed: studying snakes. But there's more here, much more, and what makes it all work is something not taught in herpetology class. This man can write." --David Quammen, author of Spillover and The Song of the Dodo "With Tracks and Shadows, renowned field scientist Harry Greene masterfully--and poetically--examines the contradictions inherent in wild places that teem with both beauty and danger. In these stories, drawn from a life spent in the study of his beloved snakes, he reveals how an eminently humane scientist learned to find joy and peace by exploring the living world." --Mark W. Moffett, author of Adventures among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions "Harry Greene shares the sting of death and the joy of life in Tracks and Shadows, but this brilliant book is also about the wonder of snakes, the beauty of studying natural history, and the importance of sharing a love of nature with humanity. It has something to teach every one of us." --Marty Crump, author of In Search of the Golden Frog and Headless Males Make Great Lovers