The Invention Of The American Desert

Introduction / Lyle Massey and James Nisbet -- Desolate dreams / Joseph Masco -- Air, wind, breath, life : desertification and Will Wilson's AIR (Auto-Immune Response) / Jessica L. Horton -- Notes from bioteknika / Albert Narath -- Troglodyte modernists / Lyle Massey -- Explosive modernism : Hiram Hudson Benedict's Bouldereign and Zabriskie Point at 50 / Edward Dimendberg -- Point Omega/Omega Point : desert In three parts / Stefanie Sobelle -- The desert in fine grain / Emily Eliza Scott -- The desert as black mythology / Bridget R. Cooks -- On the recalcitrance of the desert island, by way of Andrea Zittel's A-Z West / James Nisbet -- Four theses for the coming deserts / Hans Baumann and Karen Pinkus.

First Published in 1977, The Great American Desert presents a comprehensive overview of the life, history, and landscape of the American Southwest. The Great American desert encompasses the finest land, the biggest Canyon, the highest mountains, the driest deserts, the hottest valley, the oldest towns and the richest mines in the country. Its history is ancient and varied- the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, the Pueblo life, the Spanish and their influence, the Indians and the very type of Southwesterners who have taken up residence during the past century. Jon Manchip White, a Welshman, is one of the region's most recent residents. He has lived there for seven years, look stranger and grown to appreciate it with loving familiarity. He has seen beyond the subtle malignancies of civilization-the billboards, fast food places, tourist traps and the average American’s curious horror of the big outdoors. Indeed, he finds in this finely integrated account of the history and topography of a huge area of land signs that at times nature is winning the fight against man. This book ranges far beyond scenic wonders. The author is equally concerned with men who moved across this spectacular landscape, and who inhabit it now; men famous for a strange diversity of achievement-Coronado and D. H. Lawrence, Geronimo and Billy the Kid, as well as the migrants and desert dwellers of today. This fascinating book is a must read for anyone interested in America’s Southwest.

*Includes pictures *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "The Mojave is a big desert and a frightening one. It's as though nature tested a man for endurance and constancy to prove whether he was good enough to get to California." - John Steinbeck The Mojave Desert, otherwise known as the "High Desert," is the smallest of the deserts in the North American continent, nestled between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, two of the most frequented tourist capitals in the country. That being said, this unassuming, yet mesmerizing desert is visited by millions each year, with over 2 million people flocking to Joshua Tree Park alone, for this diverse terrain is built on the back of a rich and unique history, be they real or fictitious. The Mojave Desert: The History and Legacy of North America's Most Famous Desert explores the development of the Mojave, from its formative years to the heterogeneous tract of land it is today. It also examines the native tribes who inhabited it, and their complex relationships with the foreign explorers who traversed their territories. The book also dives into the desert's literal golden era and takes a tour through the desert's fabled Death Valley. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Mojave Desert like never before.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

For his brilliant reportage ranging from the forested recesses of the Amazon to the manicured lawns of Westchester County, New York, Alex Shoumatoff has won acclaim as one of our most perceptive guides to the oddest corners of the earth. Now, with this book, he takes us on a kaleidoscopic journey into the most complex and myth-laden region of the American landscape and imagination. In this amazing narrative, Shoumatoff records his quest to capture the vast multiplicity of the American Southwest. Beginning with his first trip after college across the desert in a station wagon, some twenty-five years ago, he surveys the boundless variety of people and experiences constituting the place--the idea--that has become America's symbol and last redoubt of the "Other. From the Biosphere to the Mormons, from the deadly world of narcotraffickers to the secret lives of the covertly Jewish conversos, Shoumatoff explores the many alternative states of being who have staked their claim in the Southwest, making it a haven for every brand of refugee, fugitive, and utopian. And as he ventures across time and space, blending many genres--history, anthropology, natural science, to name only a few--he brings us a wealth of information on chile addiction, the diffusion of horses, the formation of the deserts and mountain ranges, the struggles of the Navajo to preserve their culture, and countless other aspects of this place we think we know. Full of profound sympathy and unique insights, Legends of the American Desert is a superbly rich epic of fact and reflection destined to take its place among such classics of regional portraiture as Ian Frazier's Great Plains. Alex Shoumatoff has created an exuberant celebration of a singularly American reality.

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