In this book the author describes in simple non-technical terms the adventures he has
experienced during his work as an earth scientist in some of the remote parts of the arid and
semi-arid world. His aim in writing this concise account of some of the work he has been
involved in over the past fifty years is to try to convey to the non-specialist some of the
excitement and fun involved in fieldwork in the drier regions of the world. His studies of the
soils landforms and the recent geological history of arid and semi-arid regions have taken
Martin Williams to some remarkable places in Africa Asia Australia and the Middle East. Not
only are the landscapes themselves often stunningly beautiful but the contact with people from
quite different backgrounds and cultures has been an enriching experience. His work has taken
him to places far off the beaten track whether it be the rugged mountains of Ethiopia and
northern China the sandy deserts of the Sahara and Rajasthan or the great river valleys of
Somalia central India and the Nile. The chapters that follow are not intended to form a
coherent chronological narrative although they do appear in rough chronological order. They
should rather be viewed as vignettes or brief evocative descriptions much as in the discursive
tradition of the wandering Irish storytellers. Acting on the principle that it is not necessary
to be solemn to be serious the author aims to entertain as well as to instruct.
