By considering why the desert, and the human story therein, continues to fascinate Western writers, it reveals no barren legacy but a strand of ever-evolving inter-cultural practice of representation and self-reflection.

Acknowledgements Preface Introduction: Arabia, the Land of Legend The margins of Western desert travel in Arabia Locating Arabia Arabia as a country of the mind The Lawrence and Thesiger legacy Mapping the chaptersChapter 1. In Literary Footsteps: The Prevalence of "Second Journeys" A tradition of intertextuality Learning from the past – Blackmore in the footsteps of Lawrence Writing about the present – Kirkby and Hayes in the footsteps of Thesiger Opportunities for the future – Evans in the footsteps of ThomasChapter 2. Desert and Sown: The Narration of Progress and Modernity Desert but not deserted – Asher’s modern Bedu The desert mechanised – Toy’s travels by Land Rover The desert politicised – Morris and a Sultan’s pageant The desert urbanised – Raban and a camel-free account The desert historicised – Mackintosh-Smith’s inverse archaeologyChapter 3: Gendering the Desert: Women and Desert Narratives Where are the women? Western women’s travels in Arabia "Pay, pack and follow" – women as desert writers The siren trope The "veiled best-seller" Desert as an inconstant space Chapter 4. Wonderment and Wilderness: Desert Science Writing Delighting in sand grouse George and the neo-sublime Walker and Pittaway in amateur pursuits Winser in search of solutions Staging the desert for Western audiencesChapter 5: Desert as Shared Space Post-tourism and the accelerated sublime The modern secular pilgrimage Democratisation of the desert experienceConclusion: Barren Legacy? Bibliography Index