The Mojave Desert

The History and Legacy of North America’s Most Famous Desert

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Jim D Johnston

“The Mojave is a big desert and a frightening one. It’s as though nature tested a man for endurance and constancy to prove whether he was good enough to get to California.” - John Steinbeck

The Mojave Desert, otherwise known as the “High Desert”, is the smallest of the deserts in the North American continent nestled between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, two of the most frequented tourist capitals in the country. That being said, this unassuming, yet mesmerizing, desert is visited by millions each year, with over two million people flocking to Joshua Tree Park alone. This diverse terrain is built on the back of a rich and unique history, be they real or fictitious.

The Mojave Desert: The History and Legacy of North America’s Most Famous Desert explores the development of the Mojave from its formative years to the heterogeneous tract of land it is today. It also examines the native tribes who inhabited it and their complex relationships with the foreign explorers who traversed their territories. The book also dives into the desert's literal golden era and takes a tour through the desert's fabled Death Valley. You will learn about the Mojave Desert like never before.

©2018 Charles River Editors (P)2018 Charles River Editors

Poorly researched

As an Archaeologist who works in the Mojave, I found this book poorly researched and merely a regurgitation of two or three sources.The prehistory and especially the geology is so generic as to not to make sense. Little context is provided. Ecological and biological topics (which are the foundation to defining a region such as the Mojave) are presented at a grade school level. The book is more of a travel guide than any real discussion on the physical and biological attributes that define this region as the Mojave Desert.

The narrator whistles

Why would someone put out a narration where the narrator whistles on ever S he says? Some passages sound like a basketball game. Is there someway to make that less noticeable? It’s very distracting.