The Telling Distance: Conversations With the American Desert

Essays discuss desert ecology, wilderness areas, and the relationship between people and nature

Many of these essays have appeared in various publications, not all of them nature-oriented, and are thus quite diverse. The introduction, even if one accepts the description of deserts as emptiness, is too obscure to tempt the reader. The essays themselves, however, combine to form an eccentric volume of philosophical musings and observations about the desert, camping, and living. The overall effect leaves one rather bemused and wondering what it was all about. Given that the manuscript for this book won the 1990 Western States Book Award for Creative Nonfiction, however, there may be some demand for it.
- Katharine Galloway Garstka, Intergraph Corp., Huntsville, Ala.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.