'The most widespread and cataclysmic change in the desert [of the United States] in modern times has resulted from unrestricted grazing . . . . The desert in many places is one-tenth as productive for livestock as it was when white men first came on the scene.' - David Costello

This book performs a valuable service: although it deals with ecology, it has been written not for ecologists but for Everyman-it's a book for people to read, to enjoy, and in the process gain an appreciation of the basic ecology of North America's Deserts.

In an easy and refreshing manner, the author tells what the desert is and why it is what it is. The reader becomes conscious of the inter-relationships between its climate, soil, and myriad life forms; he is rewarded with an insight into the desert's vastness, complexity, unity, and variety.