This is the first single-volume record of the world’s most spectacular desert landscapes.

From the Rub al-Khali and the Sinai to the Great Sandy, the Great Basin and the Kalahari, Michael Martin, an internationally renowned photographer, has travelled through every desert on Earth, crossing Asia, Australia, the Americas and Africa, to compile this beautifully photographed volume.

Far from being bleak and barren wastelands, these deserts boast natural features of staggering beauty. Afghanistan’s Bamian region is notable for its deep turquoise lakes set amidst towering, rocky mountains. The Danakil’s unnamed volcanoes glow in the Ethiopian night, while Chile’s Atacama region harbours geysers that can erupt at any moment. In addition to these awe-inspiring landscapes, Martin introduces us to the stoic peoples who eke out an existence in such inhospitable environments.

Michael Martin has spent the past twenty years exploring the world’s remotest places. His most recent book was Deserts of Africa. Elke Wallner is a camerawoman who specializes in documenting exceptional landscapes. Michael Asher is the distinguished author of thirteen books, including biographies of T. E. Lawrence and Wilfred Thesiger.