Two Crackers

A TRIP to the Devon coastal resort of Torquay earlier this month found me with more spare time on my hands than I was expecting.

Accordingly I was able to finish one very interesting book,  and both start and finish another.

Pair of gems

I admit neither has exactly an inspiring cover, especially Sand, Wind, And War by Ralph A Bagnold,

Subtitled Memoirs Of A Desert Explorer, this is the autobiography of a man who rose to the rank of brigadier in the British army as well as winning numerous top scientific awards.

The American space agency Nasa named Bagnold Sands on Mars in recognition of his work in understanding how dunes form and move.

Bagnold's military achievements included organising the Long Range Desert Group, which raided extensively behind enemy lines in the Western Desert campaign of WW2.

I was so impressed by Bagnold's book Libyan Sands - Travel In A Dead World that I happily, more-or-less, splashed out £24.53 on Sand, Wind, And War, and I have not regretted it.

The more-substantial Britain BC - Life In Britain And Ireland Before The Romans was decidedly cheaper at £2 from a charity shop.

There is not much military history in the book - author Francis Pryor is an archaeologist who follows the modern fashion of pooh-poohing many claims of ancient upheavals caused by clashes of arms.

But his knowledge of and passion for the subject shine through, although Pryor does warn that, perhaps paradoxically, the longer back in time one goes, the more chance there is that established 'truths' will be overturned.

Because I live in a relatively small flat, I quite often have clearouts of books, but I suspect it will be a long time before I give up either of these.