First Published in 1977, The Great American Desert presents a comprehensive overview of the life, history, and landscape of the American Southwest. The Great American desert encompasses the finest land, the biggest Canyon, the highest mountains, the driest deserts, the hottest valley, the oldest towns and the richest mines in the country. Its history is ancient and varied- the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, the Pueblo life, the Spanish and their influence, the Indians and the very type of Southwesterners who have taken up residence during the past century. Jon Manchip White, a Welshman, is one of the region's most recent residents. He has lived there for seven years, look stranger and grown to appreciate it with loving familiarity. He has seen beyond the subtle malignancies of civilization-the billboards, fast food places, tourist traps and the average American’s curious horror of the big outdoors. Indeed, he finds in this finely integrated account of the history and topography of a huge area of land signs that at times nature is winning the fight against man. This book ranges far beyond scenic wonders. The author is equally concerned with men who moved across this spectacular landscape, and who inhabit it now; men famous for a strange diversity of achievement-Coronado and D. H. Lawrence, Geronimo and Billy the Kid, as well as the migrants and desert dwellers of today. This fascinating book is a must read for anyone interested in America’s Southwest.

Stories from prehistoric times to the future, about land, our abuse of the land, and the impact on the people who come after

In this new, enlarged edition, John Opie updates his groundbreaking work on the environmental history of the Ogallala aquifer and plains farming. He addresses the impact of the 1996 Farm Bill (Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act) and looks at the recent movement of industrial hog farming onto the plains. Opie also develops his argument for the plains as a ?moral geography,? a view involving the recognition by society that it has an obligation to balance the responsibility for conserving natural resources with that for keeping a regional people?the family farmers?in operation.

Encyclopedia of Deserts represents a milestone: it is the first comprehensive reference to the first comprehensive reference to deserts and semideserts of the world. Approximately seven hundred entries treat subjects ranging from desert survival to the way deserts are formed. Topics include biology (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants, bacteria, physiology, evolution), geography, climatology, geology, hydrology, anthropology, and history. The thirty-seven contributors, including volume editor Michael A. Mares, have had extensive careers in deserts research, encompassing all of the world’s arid and semiarid regions. The Encyclopedia opens with a subject list by topic, an organizational guide that helps the reader grasp interrelationships and complexities in desert systems. Each entry concludes with cross-references to other entries in the volume, inviting the reader to embark on a personal expedition into fascinating, previously unknown terrain. In addition a list of important readings facilitates in-depth study of each topic. An exhaustive index permits quick access to places, topics, and taxonomic listings of all plants and animals discussed. More than one hundred photographs, drawings, and maps enhance our appreciation of the remarkable life, landforms, history, and challenges of the world’s arid land.