Desert

Like the Tour de France which, at the time of writing, absorbs me nightly for half an hour, the 'Eyewitness' caravan rolls unstoppably and institutionally on, its members all as bright, slick and efficient as those of the Tour's peloton. But, as with the Tour, the real excitement lies not in the overall excellence of the phenomenon but the occasional exciting breakaway when real class comes to the fore.

And so it is with Desert - in fact this is a book which breaks away within itself. The first 40 pages deal as competently as one would expect with geology, flora and fauna but then comes a remarkable section devoted to human desert dwellers and their animals. This is where to find out all about ceremonial camel regalia, bedouin tent construction (for which goat wool is reserved) and coffee making, costume (from San minimalism to Tuareg multi-wrap), an Australian bottle-glass razor and the modern desert bike. How long would Indurain and co. last in the Sahara, one wonders.

How long, also, can the 'Eyewitness' caravan continue to roll? Whenever it does finally rest I'd put money on Desert wearing the yellow jersey in the closing stages.