--- product_id: 7271126 title: "Libyan Sands: Travel in a Dead World Paperback – February 14, 2011" brand: "ralph a. bagnold" price: "VT7675" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/7271126-libyan-sands-travel-in-a-dead-world-paperback-february-14 store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Libyan Sands: Travel in a Dead World Paperback – February 14, 2011 **Brand:** ralph a. bagnold **Price:** VT7675 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Libyan Sands: Travel in a Dead World Paperback – February 14, 2011 by ralph a. bagnold - **How much does it cost?** VT7675 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/7271126-libyan-sands-travel-in-a-dead-world-paperback-february-14) ## Best For - ralph a. bagnold enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted ralph a. bagnold brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Libyan Sands: Travel in a Dead World Paperback – February 14, 2011 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31Z0w1kkCdL.jpg) ![Libyan Sands: Travel in a Dead World Paperback – February 14, 2011 - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31fwYRZSCaL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not exactly a page turner, but interesting and very well written. *by G***E on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 21, 2022* Very interesting book about a time and place where exploration was new. The hardiness of these part time explorers and the risks they took for fun is somewhat overwhelming. The book gives a look back almost 100 years into the lives of men using ingenuity and determination to conquer a forbidden place. They explore places untouched since the stone age and stubble over relics from that time. Also a good look at the history of little known desert people. Beautifully written. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ By Model T and much pushing *by C***O on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 5, 2011* Libyan Sands is an evocative description of the author's motor car exploration of the Western Desert (Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Chad) during the interwar period of the 20th century. The insatiably curious Ralph Bagnold began by gathering fellow army officers to see the sites of Egypt -- the pyramids, monasteries, Roman ruins, oasis life, and the desert -- and to experience the joys of motoring in the early days of automobiles. This led to several trips to Sinai, Palestine, and Transjordan in 1926-27, sometimes pioneering new auto routes.Next came a series of long-range trips into the Western Desert in 1927-30. Bagnold and his companions solved a succession of problems --- lack of water (countered by an adaptation that recycled car radiator water losses), getting stuck in soft sand (rope ladders and metal chutes for providing tire traction, reduced tire pressure), navigation in featureless landscapes (invention of a sun compass), crossing sand dune barriers (discovery of sand properties that enabled cars to drive up certain kinds of dunes in certain conditions) --- and in the process explored vast expanses that had been unknown to modern science. At the conclusion of one of the trips, at a Greek café in Wadi Halfa, he and his companions founded the Zerzura Club of desert explorers, named for the last "lost" oasis.A chance meeting with a travel colleague at the Royal Geographical Society map room, examining blank spaces on a map of North-East Africa, led to a return to Egypt. "The externals of Cairo change very slowly, and the atmosphere changes not at all." The 1932 expedition covered 6,000 miles, mostly across uncharted desert. Besides work on a plethora of `ologies --- geology, archaeology, ornithology, entomology, botany, topography --- the expedition was familiar with history (Herodotus, ancient Arabic texts, the Mahdi's uprising, preceding explorers) and took sympathetic note of human interaction: "The common-sense politeness of the people [of northern Sudan], their spontaneous helpfulness and their restraint in the display of any curiosity that might annoy are amazing in comparison with the people of other countries."One of the most memorable incidents was meeting an Italian army contingent at a remote oasis, a meeting celebrated with a dinner invitation and excellent Chianti, but a prologue to the desert war to come.The story is told with a vivid demonstration of practical scientific application, an impressive breadth of interests, contemplation on issues such as remoteness and exploration, and not a little lyrical appreciation of the desert.An epilogue by the author and an afterword by his son put the narrative into perspective. Bagnold was the greatest of the Libyan Desert explorers (first among his fellows, including the now better-known Count Almasy), a scientist of the first order (his Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes has been a standard text on the subject for more than 50 years), and the founding leader of World War II's elite Long Range Desert Group (which arguably deflected the Italian army from overrunning Egypt and seizing the Suez Canal). These achievements are either described or foretold in this modest traveler's tale.The Eland edition is a welcome reprinting of a classic. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A remarkable life *by M***T on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 15, 2022* How often do you pick up a graduate text book to find the author gushing in open admiration of a 20th century explorer? Soldier? Engineer? I know, not often. Me too. But Bagnold deserves all this admiration. He wrote the book on sand transport after exploring the Egyptian desert. A classic "where no man has gone before" situation. I too fell in love with explorer and this work after being introduced to him in a planetary science graduate text book. Bagnold's writing is superb and he keeps you enthralled throughout the book. An underrated and captivating man. He spans post WWI, through WWII, to become the world's expert in desert processes, and lives to see his name assigned to Martian features before his death in 1990. Remarkable life, remarkable book. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/7271126-libyan-sands-travel-in-a-dead-world-paperback-february-14](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/7271126-libyan-sands-travel-in-a-dead-world-paperback-february-14) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-06-06*