Peter Latz dispels convincingly the view that the desert is timeless and unchanging, leading the reader along the path of reading country through acute field observations combined with the latest in satellite image interpretation and computer studies of vegetation.

This important book summarises a lifetime of observations and thinking by Australia’s most experienced arid zone botanist, The Flaming Desert is complementary to, but travels a different journey to Latz’s own Bushfires and Bushtucker. Peter Latz is uniquely placed to offer the kind of insights that The Flaming Desert conveys. Born and brought up among Aboriginal people, his ability to read country and landscapes is exceptional. Latz’ approach is refreshingly informal, making the unfamiliar familiar and personally meaningful. The Flaming Desert is one of the best natural histories of Arid Australia yet written.