From Alice to Ocean: Alone Across the Outback -- Excerpted from Robyn Davidson's "Tracks" / Photographed By Rick Smolan

Excerpts from Tracks, the author's best-selling account of her heroic journey across Australia, are complemented by photographs by the creator of the Day in the Life of Australia and a CD containing sounds of the outback. 50,000 first printing.

In April 1977, Robyn Davidson set out with four camels and a dog to cross the deserts of Western Australia--1700 miles from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean. Her sponsor, National Geographic , arranged for photographer Rick Smolan to meet her at various locations along the way. Davidson's riveting account of her journey, Tracks, won awards and became a bestseller. Here, Smolan presents his color photographs alongside excerpts from Tracks. It is a rewarding combination that dramatizes the hardships Davidson encountered and the stark beauty of a hostile landscape. Smolen, creator of the Day in the Life series, photographed tourists, aborigines, scenery and Davidson with her animals--riding, resting, playing. His images make a great adventure even more memorable.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This book, excerpted from Davidson's popular Tracks ( LJ 2/15/81), is the narrative of her trek by camel across half of Australia. The story is fascinating and well written, but readers seeking a more complete treatment will have to turn to the original book. What this book offers are lavish photographs. Smolan, a former photographer for Life , did not accompany Davidson on her journey but dropped in at a few prearranged locations. [...]
- George M. Jenks, Bucknell Univ., Lewisburg, Pa.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.