Great Desert Explorers

About this book

Desert exploration, like climbing Everest or polar expeditions, is not for the faint-hearted, and many of the vivid tales within this fascinating biographical history end in tragedy. However, the informative and absorbing descriptions of the extraordinary journeys, challenges and achievements of these intrepid figures, are captivating. They risked their lives variously for good old fashioned epic adventure, solitude, fame, the answer to mythical questions and some were even spies. They experienced fear, excitement and hardship in their journeys into the unknown. There are many books on exploration but remarkably few on desert exploration. Moreover, some of the great desert explorers of the last three hundred years are now very little remembered or appreciated in comparison, say, with those who ventured to the poles, climbed Everest, or sought the source of the Nile. Yet, crossing unknown deserts is no less challenging. This volume finally brings these Great Desert Explorers into the limelight, with short, illustrated biographies of around 60 of the most interesting, intrepid and important explorers of the world's greatest deserts. There is also a brief introduction to each desert region. The many original quotations, illustrations and maps, contemporary figures, as well as plates of a range of desert landscapes make this a colourful, lively and informative read.

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Biography

Andrew Goudie was at the School of Geography, Oxford University, from 1970 to 2003, became Fellow of Hertford College in 1976, and was appointed Professor of Geography and Head of Department in 1984. In October 2003 he became Master of St Cross College, Oxford. He has been an Honorary Secretary and Vice President of the Royal Geographical Society, Executive Secretary and Chairman of the British Geomorphological Research Group, a member of the Council of the Institute of British Geographers, and President of the Geographical Association. He has also been President of the International Association of Geomorphologists. In 1991 he was awarded the Founders' Medal of the Royal Geographical Society and the Mungo Park medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. In 2002 he received a medal from the Royal Academy of Belgium and was awarded a DSc by Oxford. In 2007 he was awarded the Geological Society of America's Farouk El-Baz Award for Desert Research. His main research interests include the geomorphology of deserts, climatic change, environmental archaeology and the impact of humans on the environment. He has worked extensively in southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland and Namibia) and the Middle East, including Oman, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, and in the USA. In 2008 he published Wheels Across the Desert: Exploration of the Libyan Desert by Motorcar 1916-1942, which was also produced by Silphium Books.