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Desert: Nature and Culture
Desert takes a fresh look at one of the most significant natural aspects of our planet, as both a geographical feature and a cultural entity. It examines and often overturns our common notions about deserts, from the fear of desolation and death of thirst on the one hand, to the attraction of the exotic, adventure and freedom on the other.
The book considers the immense geographical diversity of deserts from the Sahara to Antarctica, and describes how plants and animals have adapted to these hostile environments in intriguing and often bizarre ways. Diverse races have also inhabited deserts and evolved unique lifestyles and cultures in response to their environments. Desert also asks why all three of the world’s great monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, originated in the deserts of the Middle East, and traces the continuing connections between the minimal materialism of desert existence and the pursuit of a spiritual dimension.
Deserts have also long exerted an allure on the West, leading to the impetus for exploration, the fascination with travellers’ tales and the fashion for Orientalism in art, architecture and dress. Desert also reviews the significance of desolate landscapes in literature and film and looks at artists’ responses to the desert, from seeing it as empty space, devoid of interest or perspective, to devising new visual techniques through which to ‘see’ it.
The book considers the immense geographical diversity of deserts from the Sahara to Antarctica, and describes how plants and animals have adapted to these hostile environments in intriguing and often bizarre ways. Diverse races have also inhabited deserts and evolved unique lifestyles and cultures in response to their environments. Desert also asks why all three of the world’s great monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, originated in the deserts of the Middle East, and traces the continuing connections between the minimal materialism of desert existence and the pursuit of a spiritual dimension.
Deserts have also long exerted an allure on the West, leading to the impetus for exploration, the fascination with travellers’ tales and the fashion for Orientalism in art, architecture and dress. Desert also reviews the significance of desolate landscapes in literature and film and looks at artists’ responses to the desert, from seeing it as empty space, devoid of interest or perspective, to devising new visual techniques through which to ‘see’ it.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 24, 2026
IIt is a great, well-organized book to start reading about deserts, covering different aspects from religion to art. However, I was wondering how such a knowledgeable scholar missed the deserts in Iran and Afghanistan. The underground aqueduct system known as Qanat and the invention of the Persian Garden in the desert, which originated with Zoroastrian Persians and was later adopted and spread throughout the Islamic world, is a significant omission that cannot be ignored.
To sum up, I recommend reading it as a primary introduction to deserts.
To sum up, I recommend reading it as a primary introduction to deserts.
March 2, 2023
beautiful pictures.
text is lacking.
text is lacking.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews