Download or read book The Immeasurable World written by William Atkins and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2018-07-24 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year (UK) "William Atkins is an erudite writer with a wonderful wit and gaze and this is a new and exciting beast of a travel book."—Joy Williams In the classic literary tradition of Bruce Chatwin and Geoff Dyer, a rich and exquisitely written account of travels in eight deserts on five continents that evokes the timeless allure of these remote and forbidding places. One-third of the earth's surface is classified as desert. Restless, unhappy in love, and intrigued by the Desert Fathers who forged Christian monasticism in the Egyptian desert, William Atkins decided to travel in eight of the world's driest, hottest places: the Empty Quarter of Oman, the Gobi Desert and Taklamakan deserts of northwest China, the Great Victoria Desert of Australia, the man-made desert of the Aral Sea in Kazkahstan, the Black Rock and Sonoran Deserts of the American Southwest, and Egypt's Eastern Desert. Each of his travel narratives effortlessly weaves aspects of natural history, historical background, and present-day reportage into a compelling tapestry that reveals the human appeal of these often inhuman landscapes.

Download or read book The Nature of Desert Nature written by Gary Paul Nabhan and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2020-11-10 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this refreshing collection, one of our best writers on desert places, Gary Paul Nabhan, challenges traditional notions of the desert. Beautiful, reflective, and at times humorous, Nabhan’s extended essay also called “The Nature of Desert Nature” reveals the complexity of what a desert is and can be. He passionately writes about what it is like to visit a desert and what living in a desert looks like when viewed through a new frame, turning age-old notions of the desert on their heads. Nabhan invites a prism of voices—friends, colleagues, and advisors from his more than four decades of study of deserts—to bring their own perspectives. Scientists, artists, desert contemplatives, poets, and writers bring the desert into view and investigate why these places compel us to walk through their sands and beneath their cacti and acacia. We observe the spines and spears, stings and songs of the desert anew. Unexpected. Surprising. Enchanting. Like the desert itself, each essay offers renewed vocabulary and thoughtful perceptions. The desert inspires wonder. Attending to history, culture, science, and spirit, The Nature of Desert Nature celebrates the bounty and the significance of desert places. Contributors Thomas M. Antonio Homero Aridjis James Aronson Tessa Bielecki Alberto Búrquez Montijo Francisco Cantú Douglas Christie Paul Dayton Alison Hawthorne Deming Father David Denny Exequiel Ezcurra Thomas Lowe Fleischner Jack Loeffler Ellen McMahon Rubén Martínez Curt Meine Alberto Mellado Moreno Paul Mirocha Gary Paul Nabhan Ray Perotti Larry Stevens Stephen Trimble Octaviana V. Trujillo Benjamin T. Wilder Andy Wilkinson Ofelia Zepeda

Download or read book Desert Oracle written by Ken Layne and published by MCD. This book was released on 2020-12-08 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The cult-y pocket-size field guide to the strange and intriguing secrets of the Mojave—its myths and legends, outcasts and oddballs, flora, fauna, and UFOs—becomes the definitive, oracular book of the desert For the past five years, Desert Oracle has existed as a quasi-mythical, quarterly periodical available to the very determined only by subscription or at the odd desert-town gas station or the occasional hipster boutique, its canary-yellow-covered, forty-four-page issues handed from one curious desert zealot to the next, word spreading faster than the printers could keep up with. It became a radio show, a podcast, a live performance. Now, for the first time—and including both classic and new, never-before-seen revelations—Desert Oracle has been bound between two hard covers and is available to you. Straight out of Joshua Tree, California, Desert Oracle is “The Voice of the Desert”: a field guide to the strange tales, singing sand dunes, sagebrush trails, artists and aliens, authors and oddballs, ghost towns and modern legends, musicians and mystics, scorpions and saguaros, out there in the sand. Desert Oracle is your companion at a roadside diner, around a campfire, in your tent or cabin (or high-rise apartment or suburban living room) as the wind and the coyotes howl outside at night. From journal entries of long-deceased adventurers to stray railroad ad copy, and musings on everything from desert flora, rumored cryptid sightings, and other paranormal phenomena, Ken Layne's Desert Oracle collects the weird and the wonderful of the American Southwest into a single, essential volume.

Download or read book Creatures of the Desert World written by Barbara Gibson and published by National Geographic Children's Books. This book was released on 1987 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the activities of various animals in Arizona's Sonoran Desert.

Download or read book Desert Giant pb written by Barbara Bash and published by Gibbs Smith. This book was released on 2002-09-06 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A venerable saguaro cactus stands like a statue in the hot desert landscape, its armlike branches reaching fifty feet into the air. From a distance it appears to be completely still and solitary--but appearances can be deceptive. In fact, this giant tree of the desert is alive with activity. Its spiny trunk and branches are home to a surprising number of animals, and its flowers and fruit feed many desert dwellers. Gila woodpeckers and miniature elf owls make their homes inside the saguaro's trunk. Long-nosed bats and fluttering white doves drink the nectar from its showy white flowers. People also play a role in the saguaro's story: each year the Tohono O'odham Indians gather its sweet fruit in a centuries-old harvest ritual. In this first volume of Sierra Club Books' Tree Tales series, a simple, easy-to-read text and appealing drawings document the life cycle of this amazing cactus tree and the creatures it helps to support. Readers will come away with a better understanding of and a lasting respect for this accomodating giant of the desert.

Download or read book Guardians of the Desert written by Leona Wisoker and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2014-12 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book 2 of the Children of the Desert series. In this sequel to Wisoker's acclaimed debut Secrets of the Sands, the new desert lord Alyea Peysimun returns to Bright Bay in the company of ancient, mysterious Deiq, who has agreed to serve as her mentor, and the young ha'ra'ha Idisio, whose powers and history are only beginning to emerge. Alyea's changed status will upset a precarious balance in Bright Bay-but that is nothing compared to the hidden havoc her transition is already creating in the desert. "One of the best things about this story is its balance, with evil and good being shown in both cultures...complexity, intriguing story...I heartily recommend Guardians of the Desert." -Colleen Cahill -sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=11526 "Guardians of the Desert keeps the superb writing style of the author's debut and has in Alyea a powerful character one likes and roots for..." -Liviu Suicu -fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/04/guardians-of-desert-by-leona-wisoker.html "Overall I loved Guardians of the Desert and found it an engaging read. It was a great read, lovely plot..." -Cindy Hannikman -fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/04/guardians-of-desert-by-leona-wisoker.html From the Back Cover Lord Alyea of Peysimun grows into her strength. Deiq of Stass confronts his greatest weakness. Lord Eredion of Sessin tries to live with his compromises. Meanwhile, someone plots a brutal retaliation. . . . Not long ago, Alyea Peysimun was a shallow young noblewoman maneuvering for personal power. Her first attempt at politics proved far more dangerous than she dreamed possible, and nearly ended her life. Now she is a desert lord, one of the powerful, little-understood southern elite. But power changes everything-including who to call friend and enemy. Deiq of Stass has long hidden his dual heritage by passing himself off as a mysterious quasi-noble. He has a facility for lying and a strange sense of ethics; but he'll honor his promise to guide Alyea into her new life. To uphold that commitment, he must navigate more obstacles than even he could imagine-not least those within himself. Eredion Sessin is the only desert lord who stayed in Bright Bay during King Ninnic's reign. He endured the worst of the insane king's excesses and helped to remove Ninnic from the throne; his guilt over the people he couldn't save is almost as deep as his self-loathing. He has come to hate all the ha'reye represent. And yet something deeper than loyalty binds him to Deiq, who he knows better than to trust. As the truth of the ancient, mysterious ha'reye begins to emerge and those who oppose their ways marshal new strategies, the repercussions of Scratha's desperate gambit threaten to destroy a precarious balance that has held since the Split. And this time, there's no turning back.

Download or read book Desert Navigator written by Rüdiger Wehner and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2020-02-04 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Association of American Publishers PROSE Award for Excellence in Biological and Life Sciences A world-renowned researcher of animal behavior reveals the extraordinary orienteering skills of desert ants, offering a thrilling account of the sophisticated ways insects function in their natural environments. Cataglyphis desert ants are agile ultrarunners who can tolerate near-lethal temperatures when they forage in the hot midday sun. But it is their remarkable navigational abilities that make these ants so fascinating to study. Whether in the Sahara or its ecological equivalents in the Namib Desert and Australian Outback, the Cataglyphis navigators can set out foraging across vast expanses of desert terrain in search of prey, and then find the shortest way home. For almost half a century, Rüdiger Wehner and his collaborators have devised elegant experiments to unmask how they do it. Through a lively and lucid narrative, Desert Navigator offers a firsthand look at the extraordinary navigational skills of these charismatic desert dwellers and the experiments that revealed how they strategize and solve complex problems. Wehner and his team discovered that these insect navigators use visual cues in the sky that humans are unable to see, the Earth’s magnetic field, wind direction, a step counter, and panoramic “snapshots” of landmarks, among other resources. The ants combine all of this information to steer an optimal course. At any given time during their long journey, they know exactly where to go. It is no wonder these nimble and versatile creatures have become models in the study of animal navigation. Desert Navigator brings to light the marvelous capacity and complexity found in these remarkable insects and shows us how mini brains can solve mega tasks.

Download or read book In a Desert Garden written by John Alcock and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 1999-04-01 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When John Alcock replaced the Bermuda grass in his suburban Arizona lawn with gravel, cacti, and fairy dusters, he was doing more than creating desert landscaping. He seeded his property with flowers to entice certain insects and even added a few cowpies to attract termites, creating a personal laboratory for ecological studies. His observations of life in his own front yard provided him with the fieldnotes for this unusual book. In a Desert Garden draws readers into the strange and fascinating world of plants and animals native to Arizona's Sonoran Desert. As Alcock studies the plants in his yard, he shares thoughts on planting, weeding, and pruning that any gardener will appreciate. And when commenting on the mating rituals of spiders and beetles or marveling at the camouflage of grasshoppers and caterpillars, he uses humor and insight to detail the lives of the insects that live in his patch of desert. Celebrating the virtues of even aphids and mosquitoes, Alcock draws the reader into the intricacies of desert life to reveal the complex interactions found in this unique ecosystem. In a Desert Garden combines meticulous science with contemplations of nature and reminds us that a world of wonder lies just outside our own doors.

Download or read book Desert Daughters Desert Sons written by Rachel Wheeler and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2020-11-15 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Desert Daughters, Desert Sons, professor Rachel Wheeler argues that a new reading of the texts of the Christian desert tradition is needed to present the (often) anonymous women who inhabit the texts. Though these women may have been included by storytellers to provide a foil to the exemplary men in the stories' foreground, Wheeler demonstrates how women's persistence in places they were not welcome witnesses to truths about where wisdom may be sought and found. In this book, Wheeler allows these women's stories to critique the desert impulse that can create a spiritual life devoid of social relationships and responsibility.

Download or read book DK Eyewitness Books Desert written by Miranda Macquitty and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2000-05-31 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Warm deserts make up an estimated 1/5 of the Earth's surface and present unique challenges to the creatures, plants, and people that survive the temperature extremes. Desert is a detailed guide to some of the most inhospitable places on Earth, and offers spectacular full-color photographs to give readers an "eyewitness" view of life in the desert. See thestunning sand dunes of the Namib Desert, a Bedouin in full wedding dress, the desert in bloom, a jewel wasp, and a camel's regalia. Learn how sand dunes form, how a few honeypot ants store food for a whole nest in their own bodies, and howa mummy is preserved in sand. Discover why a Tuareg woman never uncovers her face, what makes a dromedary different from a Bactrian camel, the mystery of Timbuktu, and why some desert animals have big ears, and much, much more! Discover the harsh world of hot and cold deserts and the people, plants, and animals that live in them.

Download or read book Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls written by Kaela Rivera and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-04-13 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a powerful desert spirit kidnaps her sister, Cece Rios must learn forbidden magic to get her back, in this own voices middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Storm Runner and Aru Shah and the End of Time. Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her family’s disapproval. After all, only brujas—humans who capture and control criaturas—consort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime. When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El Sombrerón, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. To get into Devil’s Alley, though, she’ll have to become a bruja herself—while hiding her quest from her parents, her town, and the other brujas. Thankfully, the legendary criatura Coyote has a soft spot for humans and agrees to help her on her journey. With him at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her family—and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way.

Download or read book It s a Wonderful World written by Jess French and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-05-03 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our world is wonderful, and it’s up to us to take care of it. You may feel small, but your actions can make a big difference. This title encourages children to take care of the planet, but it doesn’t just focus on the problems—it teaches them proper practical solutions to the issues facing our world today. Veterinarian, author, and TV host Jess French guides kids through taking care of our planet, from living a sustainable lifestyle to using their voice in politics. Unlike many books about the environment, Jess not only covers how to take care of plants and animals, but also the positive contribution that humans can make on each other’s lives, too. Strong themes of self-care and mindfulness run through the book, and kids are introduced to activism. Discover how to reduce your carbon footprint, understand the importance of preserving our forests, oceans, and endangered animals, and learn the best ways to stand up for what you believe in. Bright, cool illustrations by Aleesha Nandhra combine with photography to create vibrant, engaging spreads, and Jess French’s encouraging and instructive text empowers kids to look after the environment, themselves, and each other. What a Wonderful World is the perfect book to show children that being kind to each other and working together is the best way to start protecting the planet.

Download or read book Our Wonder World written by and published by . This book was released on 1918 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Sonoran Desert written by Eric Magrane and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2016-02-25 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Desert cottontail // Sylvilagus audubonii - Simmons B. Buntin

Download or read book The Desert of Souls written by Howard Andrew Jones and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2011-02-15 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The glittering tradition of sword-and-sorcery sweeps into the sands of ancient Arabia with the heart-stopping speed of a whirling dervish in this thrilling debut novel from new talent Howard Andrew Jones In 8th century Baghdad, a stranger pleads with the vizier to safeguard the bejeweled tablet he carries, but he is murdered before he can explain. Charged with solving the puzzle, the scholar Dabir soon realizes that the tablet may unlock secrets hidden within the lost city of Ubar, the Atlantis of the sands. When the tablet is stolen from his care, Dabir and Captain Asim are sent after it, and into a life and death chase through the ancient Middle East. Stopping the thieves—a cunning Greek spy and a fire wizard of the Magi—requires a desperate journey into the desert, but first Dabir and Asim must find the lost ruins of Ubar and contend with a mythic, sorcerous being that has traded wisdom for the souls of men since the dawn of time. But against all these hazards there is one more that may be too great even for Dabir to overcome... Advance Praise for THE DESERT OF SOULS: "The Desert of Souls is filled with adventure, magic, compelling characters and twists that are twisty. This is seriously cool stuff." -- Steven Brust, New York Times bestselling author of the Vlad Taltos series "A grand and wonderful adventure filled with exotic magic and colorful places — like a cross between Sinbad and Indiana Jones." -- Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of The Map of All Things "Like the genie of the lamp, Howard Jones has granted this reader's wish for a fresh, exciting take on the venerable genre of sword-and-sorcery!" -- Richard A. Knaak, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Legends of the Dragonrealm "Howard Andrew Jones spins an exciting and suspenseful tale in his historical fantasy debut. A rich, detailed tapestry -- part Arthur Conan Doyle, part Robert E. Howard, and part Omar Khayyam, woven in the magical thread of One Thousand And One Nights." -- E.E. Knight, Author of the bestselling Vampire Earth "An entertaining and enjoyable journey into a world of djinns and magic far darker than expected, yet one that ends with hope, both for the characters... and that there will be yet another book." -- L. E. Modesitt, Jr, author of the Recluse Saga, the Imager Portfolio, and the Corean Chronicles "A modern iteration of old school storytelling. Highly recommended to anyone in search of a fun run through strange lands and times." -- Glen Cook, author of The Black Company Series "Howard Jones wields magic like a subtle blade and action like a mighty cleaver in his scimitars and sorcery tale, weaving together Arabian myth, history, and some honest-to-gosh surprises to create a unique story that you'll not soon forget." -- Monte Cook, author of The Dungeon Masters Guide, 3rd Edition "A rousing tale of swords against sorcery. Howard Jones writes with wit and flair. His world is involving, authentic and skilfully evoked. The best fantasy novel I have read all year." -- William King, Author of the Space Wolf trilogy and creator of Gotrek and Felix "A whirlwind tale of deserts, djinn and doors to other worlds, told in a voice perfectly pitched for the style and setting." -- Nathan Long, author of Bloodborn and Shamanslayer "An Arabian Nights adventure as written by Robert E Howard. It is exciting, inventive, and most of all fun." -- Dave Drake, author of The Legion of Fire

Download or read book A Flower in the Desert written by David Lang and published by New Harbinger Publications. This book was released on 2012-08-31 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At seventeen, following the directions of the philosopher and mystic Douglas Harding, David Lang pointed his finger at his own face and discovered he didn't have one. Instead, he found himself staring at nothing. But it was a very special nothing-a nothing filled with everything. Taking this revelation as his starting point, Lang shows how the vision of nothingness—the Desert—turned his life upside down. In image-rich language, he draws the reader into the Alice-in-Wonderland world of “the given.” You will see buildings and trees that move, a man who expands and shrinks like a balloon, and a room built around a black hole. You will witness scenes of joy, wonder, confusion, and despair. And you will find the Flower, that mysterious and profound destination which adds everything—and nothing—to the vision of the Desert. In the appendix, Lang gives explicit directions so that you can experience the book's key insights yourself.

Download or read book Gobi written by John Man and published by Phoenix. This book was released on 1998 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For 70 years, the Gobi, one of the worlds richest yet least explored wildernesses, was all but barred to outsiders by Mongolia's position as a buffer-state between Russia and China. With the collapse of communism, however, the Gobi is beginning to br revealed in all its glorious diversity. Travelling from west to east across the Gobi, John Man retraced the steps of the early explorers, livingwith herdsmen, and drawing on the most recent scientific work, This core of Central Asia's heartland is extraordinarily rich in wildlife and astonishing natural beauty.