| Desert Contributor(s): Haynes, Roslynn D. (Author) |
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ISBN: 1780231695 ISBN-13: 9781780231693 Publisher: Reaktion Books OUR PRICE: $24.70 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: December 2013 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Nature | Ecosystems & Habitats - Deserts - Art | Subjects & Themes - General |
| Dewey: 704.943 |
| Series: Earth (Reaktion Books) |
| Physical Information: 0.9" H x 5.7" W x 8.2" (1.20 lbs) 248 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Sand. Cacti. Lizards. Mirages. Deserts call to mind exotic places, a sense of adventure and freedom, but also thirst and desolation. In Desert, Roslynn D. Haynes takes a fresh look at this geographical feature and cultural entity as it becomes an increasingly threatened environment. Considering the immense geographical diversity of deserts from the Sahara to Antarctica, Haynes explores the intriguing and often bizarre ways plants and animals adapt to such a hostile environment, as well as the diverse peoples that have inhabited deserts and evolved unique lifestyles and cultures in response to their surroundings. She asks why Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all originated in the deserts of the Middle East and traces the connections between the minimalism of desert existence and the pursuit of a spiritual dimension. Finally, she describes the allure deserts have exerted on the West, the significance of desolate landscapes in literature and film, and the revolution in artists' responses to the desert as an empty space and as an inspiration for new visual techniques with which to view it. Ending with a look at how commercial and military interests threaten desert ecologies, Desert casts new light on our view of these seemingly barren places. |
Contributor Bio(s): Haynes, Roslynn D.: - Roslynn D. Haynes is adjunct associate professor in the Arts and Media at the University of New South Wales and a university association in the School of Humanities at the University of Tasmania, Australia. Her books include Tasmanian Visions: Landscapes in Writing, Art and Photography and Seeking the Centre: The Australian Desert in Literature, Art and Film. |