Few and Far Between: Moments in the North American Desert - Softcover

Few and Far Between combines stunning and austere photographs of the North American desert with observations of anthropology and natural history. Each image is paired with descriptive narrative text that follows Campbell's wanderings and reveals the wonder and phenomena of this vast desert system. The North American Desert-the Sonoran, Mojave, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin-covers an area from east-central Washington to the Mexican state of Zacatecas and from the Big Bend of the Rio Grande to the Pacific beaches of Baja California. It is as huge as it is diverse, and it is unlike any place on earth. Campbell's pairings bring forth both what is hidden and what is revealed in the desert-the passing of time and timelessness, the flora that manages to survive despite the meager resources, and the ancients for whom the desert has measured life. His years of training in anthropology and the natural sciences have given Campbell the rare ability to remain objective. Yet, he sees with all the fullness of experience the ways that nature and time have transformed these places, and he knows that this alone can speak wonders. Thus, to travel with Campbell is to experience the unfolding of the desert's deeply held secrets. Few and Far Between captures the essence of what makes the desert a place of awakening for many. It is a book that will be treasured by those who know the desert, who have been romanced by its beauty and seduced by its stillness. RMBPA, Runner-up Design Competition, Jacket/Cover Design, 1997

Campbell's background as an Arctic adventurer, anthropologist and photographer have led him to a variety of harsh environments. The author of several works on the anthropology of Alaskan natives and, most recently, one-room schoolhouses of the West (The Prairie Schoolhouse, Univ. of New Mexico, 1996), Campbell here documents the natural history, flora and fauna, and inhabitants of the expansive North American desert (the Sonoran, Mojave, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin), which encompasses some 500,000 square miles of the Western United States and Mexico. This collection of (chiefly) black-and-white large-format photographs with accompanying explanatory text works wonderfully on both aesthetic and educational levels to communicate the author's fascination with and understanding of the region. With a brief foreword by acquaintance Tony Hillerman and a useful bibliography; highly recommended.?Tim J. Markus, Evergreen State Coll. Lib., Olympia, Wash.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.