In the classic literary tradition of Bruce Chatwin, Atkins offers a rich and exquisitely written account of travels in eight deserts on five continents that evokes the timeless allure of these remote and forbidding places. From the Gobi Desert and Taklamakan deserts of north-west China to the man-made desert of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and the Black Rock and Sonoran Deserts of the American south-west, each of Atkins’ travel narratives effortlessly weaves aspects of natural history, historical background and present-day reportage into a compelling tapestry that reveals the human appeal of these often inhuman landscapes.