Queen of the Snake Charmers: Grace Olive Wiley and Her Venomous Pets

The story of an unconventional, self-taught American herpetologist and handler of venomous reptiles. Grace Olive Wiley, America’s homegrown snake charmer, believed that all snakes, venomous or not, could be tamed if treated with kindness. She made pets of everything—and not just kingsnakes and boas. Using only her bare hands, she draped king cobras over her shoulders, cuddled with rattlesnakes, and fed minnows to cottonmouths. Alligators, crocodiles, and monitor lizards came when she called them by name. In 1923, a Minneapolis newspaper introduced Wiley to their readers as “the girl who hunts snakes for fun.” This enigmatic woman, who quickly gained a national reputation as a snake expert, was in fact a forty-year-old divorcée with no training in herpetology. She would go on to run a wildly successful live reptile exhibit at the Minneapolis Public Library Museum, be the first person to breed Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes in captivity, become Brookfield Zoo’s (and the nation’s) first female zoo curator, wrangle king cobras for Hollywood films, and spend the remainder of her life as a tireless advocate for all things reptilian. Queen of the Snake Charmers brings Wiley’s remarkable life back into focus while exploring the enduring fascination with snakes and the people who handle them. Author Margie Crisp explores the myths and folklore surrounding snakes and examines new research into snake behavior and the medical uses of venom. Blending biography, science, and natural history, the book tells the story of a forgotten pioneer while offering a lively and unexpected look at our enduring relationship with one of nature’s most feared creatures.