Desert Days

Internet Bookwatch, May, 2009

Desert Days

Fred Wendorf

Southern Methodist University Press

PO Box 750415, Dallas, TX 75275-0415

9780870745249, $29.95, www.tamu.edu/upress

Uncovering ancient civilizations can uncover a lot about oneself. "Desert Days: My Life as a Field Archaeologist" are the reflections of lifelong archaeology enthusiast Fred Wendorf, who successfully pursued his dream career for the better half of a century. His career is one of adventure, revealing what has been lost to knowledge and science for thousands of years, but it is also the story of how Wendorf has matured as a person due to the unique nature of his career and his constant time abroad. "Desert Days" is a fine memoir to be enjoyed as both a personal testimony and as an overview of archaeology as a historical science.