Dr. Dave's Note:
I've been asked what I think are "essential" books. While that can mean different things to different people, at the VERY LEAST, an owner needs as many of the specific breed books as s/he can afford (because different authors give different perspectives......and if any two agree on any one thing, you can bet they're both probably correct about that one thing), and also books on husbandry, nutrition and basic medical care. Below are the books in my library (with one exception, I do not own ALL the specific breed books, nor have I read ALL of them. The specific breed books below are from publishing houses, some of whose breed books I have read and own.).
Aquarium Beautiful
Aquarium Fish
How to Care for Them, Feed Them, and Understand Them (Family Pet Series)
Chinchillas
(Complete Pet Owner's Manuals)
The Cichlid
An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish (Owners Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet)
Clownfishes and Sea Anemones
Everything About Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Maintenance, and Setting Up an Aquarium (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manual
Dwarf Rabbits
A Complete Pet Owner's Manual (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals)
Dwarf Rabbits
The Right Way to Keep Them, Feeding Them Properly Understanding Them Correctly (Family Pet Series)
The Exotic Pet Survival Manual
A Comprehensive Guide to Keeping Snakes, Lizards, Other Reptiles, Amphibians, Insects, Arachnids, and Other Invertebrates
Fancy Rats
(Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
The Ferret
An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet (Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet)
Ferrets Today
A Complete and Up-To-Date Guide (Basic Domestic Pet Library)
The Freshwater Aquarium 
An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet (Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet)
Gerbils (Barrons Pet Owner's Manuals)
The Goldfish
An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet (Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet)
Goldfish
Everything About Aquariums, Varieties, Care, Nutrition, Diseases, and Breeding (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
The Guinea Pig
An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet (Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet)
The Guinea Pig
How to Care for Them, Feed Them, and Understand Them (Family Pet Series)
Guinea Pigs
A Complete Pet Owner's Manual (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals Series)
Guppies Today
A Complete and Up-To-Date Guide (Basic Domestic Pet Library)
Guppies, Mollies, Platys and Other Live-Bearers Purchase, Care, Feeding, Diseases, Behavior and a Special Section on Breeding (A Complete Pet Owner)
The Hamster
An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet (Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet)
Hamsters
Everything About Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Breeding, and Training (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals Series)
Hamsters
How to Care for Them, Feed Them, and Understand Them (Family Pet)
The Hedgehog
An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet (Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet)
Hedgehogs
How to Take Care of Them and Understand Them (A Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
Killifish
A Complete Pet Owner's Manual
Koi
An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish (Owners Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet)
Koi
Everything About Selection, Care, Nutrition, Diseases, Breeding, Pond Design and Maintenance, and Popular Aquatic Plants (Barron's Complete Pet)
Lake Tanganyikan Cichlids Everything About Purchasing, Care, Nutrition, Behaviour, and Aquarium Maintenance (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals)
Mice
A Complete Pet Owner's Manual
Piranhas
Everything About Selection, Care, Nutrition, Diseases, Breeding, and Behavior (More Complete Pet Owner's Manuals)
The Rabbit
An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet (Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet)
Rabbits
A Complete Pet Owner's Manual : Everything About Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Grooming, Behavior, and Training (Complete Pet Owner's Manual) 
The Rat
An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet (Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet)
Rats!
For Today's Pet Owner from the Publishers of Critters USA Magazine (Fun & Care)
Setting Up a Saltwater Aquarium
An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet (Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet)
Small Pet Handbook
(Barron's Education Series.)
Sugar Gliders
Everything About Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Behavior, and Breeding (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
The Tarantula
An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet (Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet)
Tarantulas and Other Arachnids
Everything About Selection, Care, Nutrition, Health, Breeding, Behavior (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
To go straight to Amazon.com, Press:
I hope that you will find this information helpful in building and maintaining an EXCELLENT pet reference library. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me. I will post as many of your reviews as I can to this document. As in any forum, I would like to hear from people who like the books AND from those who believe they aren't so good. We'll let the chips fall where they may.
David E. Hammett, DVM
and the Staff of All Creatures Veterinary Clinic,
PC
