Michael Allaby
Deserts cover vast areas of every continent. Contrary to popular belief, they are not identical-each is unique in the life it supports and the human cultures that have arisen in it. Deserts offers a comprehensive overview of deserts and their role in global ecology. It not only describes their climates, their soils, and the interesting ways plants and animals have adapted to them but also places deserts in a historical perspective, with coverage of periods when different climates allowed crops to grow and climatic changes triggered major historical events. Grades 9 & up.