The Sheltering Desert
by Henno Martin
Henno Martin is a Geologist who before World War Two was famous for finding and supplying water to farms in Namibia. During the war he spent a two year exile in the Namibia desert with his partner Hermann. What kept them sane during those two years of survival in the desert was mapping it. And this is a book about his experiences in the desert. For me the book demonstrates their deep respect and understanding of nature.
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“Demonstrates a deep respect and understanding of nature. When you live outside, you obtain a completely different understanding of what is around you.” Read more...
The best books on Earth History
Adam Maloof, Environmentalist
Henno Martin was a geologist, working in Namibia before World War II. In 1940 he and a companion, Hermann, spent two years living in the Namibian desert, all by themselves, in order to avoid being interned by the South Africans as Germans. This is the story of their experience. They stayed sane by mapping the desert and discussing Darwinian evolution. Martin writes of the experience: “For me the most important gain of our life in the Namibia was the experience that the human mind can rise above even the most savage conditions.”
