We can always use more input for the next CSM (VERY LONG)

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Posted by KathyLove on August 02, 2002 at 11:05:30:

In Reply to: The Official Standard of Corn Snake Morphology... posted by Serpwidgets on August 02, 2002 at 00:04:30:

Although our Corn Snake Manual can't be updated every year, it has only been less than 3 years since the publishing of the original book. Some things have not changed much since then, but many other things have, especially new morphs, combinations of morphs, and our further understanding (or realization of our LACK of understanding) of how certain traits work. This book was not just the product of our own thoughts - we circulated it among all of the well-known corn breeders at the time, as well as a vet and some academic scholars. Those people contributed dozens of pages of comments that we took into consideration before the book was published. We absolutely plan to do this again. I feel that with that degree of input, the book has a lot of weight in determining acceptable names and "recipes" for various morphs.

So far, we have received great photos, notes, or photo opportunities from many enthusiastic people, including Don Soderberg, who sent enough fine photos to publish his own book, and also much-appreciated cooperation in recording new color and pattern variations from Steve Roylance, Jim Stepflug, Dr. Shawn Lockhart, Pat Loll, Paul & Tammie Belmore and others. We have also incorporated numerous suggestions and ideas from this forum and others, including emails, over the last couple of years. Contributors will be acknowledged as in the original edition; in addition, we hope to provide some kind of contact info for these breeders in the back of the next addition, presuming that Fancy pubs will let us do that. Bill will have his camera gear with him at the upcoming shows we attend - Daytona, Raleigh, NC, Baltimore, Chicago, and Tampa - so please consider bringing anything you think worthy of inclusion in the updated book for him to photograph there. We will consider quality photos taken by other people too, but would like them to be on at least simulated naturalistic backgrounds. Although most of these morphs are not found in nature, we still feel that they are not that far removed from it, and look better portrayed in a way that highlights their "manmade" beauty against a hint of their natural origins.

Our information and photos are to be turned in by this November, but the book will take at least several months beyond - possibly much longer - before it is published and available. We have little or no control over what happens after it's turned in to Fancy.

Thanks to everyone who has helped make the current book a success so far, and thank you in advance for your future input. Although we by no means consider ourselves to be the last word on the subject, we hope that the revised edition of *The Corn Snake Manual (* - the name may change when printed again by Fancy Publications) may serve as a kind of standard for names and morphs, at least as far as is possible in our hobby / industry.

Sincerely
Bill & Kathy Love

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Thanks so much for your excellent resource.... Jim M. 08/02/02 (0)