In this concise yet informative account, designed for students and for providing background reading, the authors have consciously restricted themselves to warm deserts and, in particular, their physical environment, which makes these areas so inhospitable to man. Particular attention is paid to the deserts of the Old World, notably the Middle East, India and Africa, where the authors have done extensive field work. A wide range of examples is provided and the diagrams and photographs are clear and effective.