the 4 laws of Tarantulas (and maybe all arachnids!) - straight from the Shultzes

[Sathane]

I was just thinking the same thing. The Shultzes have written books on the subject full of information (I guess these are to be called 'observations' now) but, since they've said that, it would appear that the TKG is less of a guide and more of a guideline for T care.

Don't get me wrong. I love my TKG and have found tons of useful information in it. Just seems odd that an author would write a book with information on a subject and then say that everything we know about them is most likely wrong.

hmmm.. It's laughable that someone is famous for saying things like that... I'd feel robbed to some extent on discovering that kind of content within a book :/

(Although I'm sure the other content is good)

 

[Bill S]

The Shultzes have written books on the subject full of information (I guess these are to be called 'observations' now) but, since they've said that, it would appear that the TKG is less of a guide and more of a guideline for T care.

Don't get me wrong. I love my TKG and have found tons of useful information in it. Just seems odd that an author would write a book with information on a subject and then say that everything we know about them is most likely wrong.

To put it in perspective, the Schultzes are hobbyists writing for other hobbyists, not scientists writing for scientists. Although they present some scientific information interpreted for non-scientists, they write in a folksy manner. I don't think they really intend to be taken as presenting "scientific laws" as much as just offering thoughts, observations and interpretations. Getting bent out of shape because they offered some "laws" in a folksy, humorous way is missing the point.

I only have the most recent version of the book, and have only read about half of it so far. But I'd agree with many other posters on this forum that it contains a wealth of information for the hobbyist - and I can't think of any other source of such information that is comparable. The writing style may not appeal to all, especially if you were expecting a scientific treatise. But look past that and you'll find a lot of value.

 

[Sathane]

Agreed and well said.

To put it in perspective, the Schultzes are hobbyists writing for other hobbyists, not scientists writing for scientists. Although they present some scientific information interpreted for non-scientists, they write in a folksy manner. I don't think they really intend to be taken as presenting "scientific laws" as much as just offering thoughts, observations and interpretations. Getting bent out of shape because they offered some "laws" in a folksy, humorous way is missing the point.

I only have the most recent version of the book, and have only read about half of it so far. But I'd agree with many other posters on this forum that it contains a wealth of information for the hobbyist - and I can't think of any other source of such information that is comparable. The writing style may not appeal to all, especially if you were expecting a scientific treatise. But look past that and you'll find a lot of value.