Desert Solitaire (Edward Abbey Series) by RosettaBooks $9.99
First published in 1968, Desert Solitaire is one of Edward Abbey's most critically acclaimed works and marks his first foray into the world of nonfiction writing. Written while Abbey was working as a ranger at Arches National Park outside of Moab, Utah, Desert Solitaire is a rare view of one man's quest to experience nature in its purest form.Through prose that is by turns passionate and poetic,...

Sonoran Desert Food Plants: Edible Uses for the Desert's Wild Bounty by Lincoln Town Press $8.95
Sonoran Desert Food Plants is specifically designed for the hiker, camper, hunter, or survivalist who is in need of a concise, no-nonsense booklet instructing on the collection, preparation, and utilization of 50 regional edible plants. Essentially: find it, gather it, and eat it. 77 color photos, state-by-state location maps, common and scientific names, preparation and toxicity issues, and...

Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest (Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest) by Lincoln Town Press $19.95
Covering more than 160 southwestern plant medicines, within 100 profiles, Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest clearly explains each plant's medicinal use, therapeutic indication, geographic range, botanical description, preparation, dosage, and caution(s). Common and scientific names and chemical breakdown are also specifically detailed for each plant. A complete preparation segment...

A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum) by Steven J. Phillips $31.95
The Sonoran Desert is one of the most wildly diverse and fascinating regions in the world. Covering southeastern California, the southern half of Arizona, most of Baja California, and much of the state of Sonora, Mexico, this vast area is home to an amazing variety of plants and animals. Its terrain varies dramatically, from parched desert lowlands to semiarid tropical forests and frigid...

The Way Out: A True Story of Ruin and Survival by Back Bay Books $14.95
- A breakout book from a writer increasingly celebrated as the 21st-century bard of the American Southwest--a writer in the tradition of Barry Lopez, Peter Matthiessen, Terry Tempest Williams, among others. - In March 2003, Craig Childs received the Spirit of the West Literary Achievement Award, given to a writer whose body of work captures the unique spirit of the American West. - As a chronicle...

Soul of Nowhere by Back Bay Books $18.99
Childs answers the call of fierce places; the more desolate the landscape, the more passionately he is drawn to it. For Childs, these are the types of terrain that sharpen the senses, and demand a physicality the modern civilized world no longer requires. Includes black-and-white photos and pen-and-ink drawings by the author.

Sonoran Desert by Jack W. Dykinga $24.95
The Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico is one of the most fascinating and starkly beautiful places in North America. In this large-format book, a widely published nature writer and a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer capture this unique terrain of dramatic contrasts and breathtaking horizons in words and images. 125 color photos.

The Desert Islands of Mexico's Sea of Cortez by University of Arizona Press $15.95
The desert islands in the Sea of Cortez are little known except to a few intrepid tourists, sailors, and fishermen. Though at first glance these stark islands may appear barren, they are a refuge for an astounding variety of plants and animals. While many of the species are typical of the greater Sonoran Desert region, some are endemic or unique to one or two islands. For example, Isla Santa...

The California Deserts: An Ecological Rediscovery by University of California Press $29.95
This highly readable, spectacularly illustrated compendium is an ecological journey into a wondrous land of extremes. The California Deserts explores the remarkable diversity of life in this harsh yet fragile quarter of the Golden State. In a rich narrative, it illuminates how that diversity, created by drought and heat, has evolved with climate change since the Ice Ages. Along the way, we find...

Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert by Pantheon $23.00
“It is a simple equation,” writes Terry Tempest Williams, “place + people = politics.” Nowhere is this more apparent than in the American West, where millions of acres of wilderness are at stake in the redrock desert of southern Utah. “How are we to find our way toward conversation?” she asks. One story at a time. Red traces Williams’s lifelong love of and commitment to the desert,...