“A rich, scholarly, beautifully crafted and illustrated account of deserts in all their diversity: not just their geology and wildlife, but also the human cultures that have made wilderness their home, and the art and poetry that has been inspired by arid remoteness. We learn of those who have treated deserts wisely and with respect, and those who have placed human vanity above regard for nature.
Welland’s grasp of an impressive range of research never falters.”
— Richard Fortey FRS, author of The Earth: An Intimate History
“In this impressively illustrated scientific and cultural history, [Welland] sets out the bigger picture, harnessing geology, climate science, botany, zoology, ecology, and anthropology to reveal places of natural and cultural abundance, with rich histories.”
— Nature
“This handsome book is informative, well-illustrated, broad-ranging, and clever. The author has managed to weave together a whole array of different strands that serve to make deserts what they are. . . . Lovers of deserts will love this book and will also learn much from it.”
— Andrew Goudie, Geoscientist Magazine
“The desert also has a dreamy reputation, but Michael Welland’s The Desert is largely romance free. It takes a serious, scientific, and sociological look at life on the sandy plains that take up a third of our landmass—from Mojave to Oz outback—without being too arid.”
— Wanderlust Magazine
“In this expansive work, whose cultural references range from the classical to the Mad Max reboot, his love of these empty regions is palpable and highly infectious. . . . With chapters on art and film, on desert poetry, on colonial exploitation, on the erosion of rocks by wind and sand, it all adds up to an encyclopaedic survey.”
— Geographical
“Approximately one-third of Earth’s land surface is desert, places that receive less than ten inches of rain per year. Along with the polar caps, arid lands are bellwethers of climate change. This sprawling cultural and physical geographic study of the world’s deserts attempts to describe how climate change alters landscapes and consequently affects the life around them. To accomplish this sweeping study, Welland, who is a trained geologist, draws upon his wide knowledge of geology, geography, and climatology while interweaving observations about art, music, philosophy, literature, history, economics, and other cultural references. The result is a vivid picture of the climatology of deserts and their influence on society throughout history. The science is informative but not overly technical for casual readers. The author includes copious photos, charts, and diagrams. . . . Highly recommended.”
— Choice
“Geologist Michael Welland's The Desert: Lands of Lost Borders tackles deserts around the world, but for him a desert is much more than sandstorms. It’s art and history, spirit and silence, conflict and courage, the people who live in the desert, and the dispelling of myths.”
— Herald
“In summary, writing a book this wide-ranging, and this thought-provoking, was risky, but the results are impressive indeed. Any quibbles aside, The Desert goes a long way toward reaching its stated goals, and represents a valuable contribution to the literature of discovery -- both outward (geographic exploration) and inward (introspective musings about place). The Desert easily earns place on my bookshelf next to the massive Encyclopedia of Deserts, edited by Michael Mares and published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 1999. Between its covers, as in the desert itself, remarkable discoveries await those who take the time to search.”
— Terrae Incognitae