Sand, Wind, and War: Memoirs of a Desert Explorer (Century Collection)

Excellent book by the man himself on all of the escapades during his life from driving around the desert for fun to fighting a war in it, invented navigation equipment, studying the way sand moves/compacts to advising NASA, an incredibly life lived

I have been after a copy of this book for some time now and I am grateful to the publisher for re-issuing it. Having read Libyan Sands I was somehow expecting more of the same. This book gives the reader a much wider picture of the authors life and his achievements and I read it with great interest.

Many of the leading characters in British books and movies are basically sound chaps (BSC): bluff, no-nonsense people who have done well in military service or a large company. A less common type of character is the brilliant scientist (BS), very good at his/her research speciality, but not so good socially. The awkward relationship between the BSC and the BS is a popular theme of best-selling books that were made into movies, such as Nevill Shute’s "No Highway" and Nigel Balchin’s "The Small Back Room".To his great credit, Ralph Bagnold (1896-1990) combined the best qualities of the BSC and the BS. In his late middle age he attained the rank of Brigadier and he was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Fortunately for us, he completed his memoirs shortly before his death. They are rich in details observed at first hand. The historian of the 20th century will be interested in his experiences in World War I and later in his service in the Irish Free State, Egypt, Sudan and India. The memoirs are highly readable and their understated style avoids the trumpet-blowing that might be expected from a successful BSC.

La autobiografia dell'autore ci fa percorrere la sua origine come studioso del deserto che gli consentì di operare per la vittoria inglese in Africa Settentrionale durante seconda guerra mondiale con la creazione dei Longe Range Deserto Group.

The self-biography of a very gifted man: desert explorer, scientist, soldier and writer. A very interesting book at an excellent price.