With infectious panache, Martin Williams reconstructs the formation and geological history of the Sahara Desert and looks at the prehistoric peoples who once flourished by its long-vanished lakes and rivers. We learn of dramatic, climactic episodes and of ingenious adaptations to extreme aridity that is still relevant today. He explores how plants, animals and human communities adapted in a book which is part personal reminiscence and reflection, part popular science and part history. The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, equal in size to China or the USA. It once sustained abundant plant and animal life such as Nile perch, turtles, crocodiles and hippos and attracted prehistoric hunters and herders. From its origins as savanna woodland and grassland to its current arid incarnation, Martin Williams describes how the desert's ancient rocks were first fashioned, how dinosaurs roamed freely across the land, and how it was later covered in tall trees. How much did humans contribute to its desertification? What was the impact of extreme climatic episodes such as prolonged droughts, and how did plants, animals and humans adapt? The book also looks at the possible future and asks will the Sahara become green once more. 222pp, well illustrated, map and figures.
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