We originally referenced 100 of our favorite desert books five years ago. We still enjoy browsing museum gift shops and used book stores for nuggets of gold in the form of guidebooks, nature guides and history books. Discovering obscure out-of-print books is extra fun. Many new books have been published recently that also deserve our nod of appreciation and delight.
People often ask us,“How do you find all the awesome places you write about?” Here’s our secret. It’s all about reliable guidebooks. Some self-touted experts may try to convince you how challenging it is to get to a particular site, but once you have the right directions you may find that it wasn’t difficult at all. Conversely, you may experience the most challenging trip of your life. Either scenario depends on you and whether you did your homework to prepare.
Despite its alluring beauty, the desert is not your friend and may have deadly consequences. Be aware that older guidebooks may have trails that are no longer accessible, as some routes over the years have likely been changed, or are currently inaccessible because of modern boundarylines. It’s good to glean information from multiple sources before you go. Make notes, take a deep dive, bring lunch. Be prepared for the unexpected.
Carl Eytel
Many places in the desert are remote and cell phone coverage is often spotty or nonexistent. Having a good guidebook with you eliminates that necessity. Never rely solely on Siri or Google to get you to where you want to go, especially if you’re planning on off-roading. Even remote desert roads like Route 66 can present its own unique challenges.
We highly recommend you carry a satellite communicator like the tiny but mighty Garmin 010-01879-00 InReach Mini 2 like we do when we’re out in the field, even if you are a seasoned explorer. Thankfully, we’ve never needed to use ours but it’s reassuring to know it could help summon help if we get into dire straits. Save your cellphone camera to take photos.
Carl Eytel
Your vehicle, gear, skill set and even the weather plays a pivotal role in the success of road trips. Although information about locations can be usually be found on the internet and YouTube, there’s nothing quite like having a trusted dog-earred book with accurate maps at your fingertips to point you in the right direction. And if it has the natural and cultural history of the area, all the better. Learn all you can before you embark. Whether you’re traveling solo or with others, make it fun but keep it safe.
As you can imagine, we have collected quite a few desert-related books over the years. Our prior book recommendations were overdue for revision. We have never regretted buying a book but some are clearly better than others. We won’t suggest any books that aren’t already on our own bookshelves and we remain receptive about finding new ones, as well as re-visiting old faithfuls.
The internet and multi-national technolgy companies hasn’t killed off bookstores and libraries yet, but it’s an uphill battle. Time can sometimes feel compressed and if you have a busy life it’s often easier to rely on other sources. Fight the urge. Reading books about the desert is one of the best ways of tapping into that solitude the desert offers when time, weather or circumstance prevents you from getting out there yourself, and to better prepare for the next time you can.
Carl Eytel
We’ve always had a special affinity for older books. Where words took center stage instead of over-edited photos. Their crafty use of language still paints vivid pictures in your mind where you merge with the imagery. Older books often have that nostalgic smell no new book can replicate. Books that have fallen out of copyright and into public domain will often vary in quality upon reprint but their words should remain unchanged. Most are available from booksellers if you prefer the tactile satisfaction of turning pages. Bonus tip: Older book titles can often be found online to read for free; see many of these links below.
Always compare prices, as some vary wildly even if they’re not collector’s editions. We purposedly did not alphabetize our titles. Just pretend you’re in an old fashion bookstore. You’re already in your favorite section. We guarantee desert rats will find titles that will tantalize. We kept amazon links to a minimum and suggested them only when there was no lesser priced alternative or source. Everyone loves a good bargain.
Some of our favorite books that cost us a only a couple of bucks just a few years ago have since skyrocketed in price, but you still don’t need to rely on major online vendors to get your biblio fix. Seek out books at museums, historical societies, libraries, mercantiles, vintage book stores, thrift stores, even yard and estate sales. Without further ado, we present you with many of our favorite nonfiction books we still refer to often. Happy reading, desert wayfarers!
Carl Eytel
“The oasis whispers promises of water and shade, a sanctuary in the vast expanse of sand and sun.”
A La California: Sketches Of Life In The Golden State by Albert S. Evans (1873)
The Ship in the Desert by Joaquin Miller (1874)
Reminiscences of a Ranger, or Early times in Southern California by Major Horace Bell (1881)
The Desert Ship: A Story of Adventure by Sea and Land by John Bloundelle-Burton (1893)
The Mystic Mid-Region, The Deserts of the Southwest by Arthur J. Burdick (1904)
The Wonders of the Colorado Desert, Its Rivers and its Mountains, its Canyons and its Springs, its Life and its History, Pictured and Described by George Wharton James (1906)
Death Valley Chuck Walla, A Magazine for Men, January-June 1907 by C. E. Kunze (1907)
California Coast Trails, A Horseback Ride from Mexico to Oregon by J. Smeaton Chase (1911)
California Desert Trails by J. Smeaton Chase (1919)
Here’s Death Valley by C.B. Glasscock (1940)
Loafing Along Death Valley Trails by William Carruthers (1951)
A Peculiar Piece of Desert: The Story of California’s Morongo Basin by Lulu Rasmussen O’Neal (1957)
Old Forts of the Southwest by Herbert M. Hart (1965)
Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey (1968)
Upper Mojave Desert: A Living Legacy by Mary Ann O’Conley (1969)
The Mohave River and Its Valley by Erma Pierson (1970)
Temalpakh, Cahuilla Indian Knowledge and Usage of Plants by Lowell John Bean and Katherine Siva Saubel (1972)
Camp Rock Spring by Dennis G. Casebier (1973)
Heart Bar Ranch and Johnson Valley Neighbors by Martha Wood Coutant (1986)
Back Door to California, the Story of the Mojave River Trail by Clifford J. Walker (1986)
Daggett, Life in a Frontier Town by Dix Van Dyke (1997)
Remembering the Early Shoshone and Tecopa Area (Southwestern Death Valley Region) by Ken Legner and George Ross (2004)
Tales of the Mojave Road, The Military by Dennis G. Casebier (2006)
Mojave Road Guide, An Adventure Through Time by Dennis G. Casebier
Goffs & Its Schoolhouse by Dennis Casebier
Fort Pah-Ute California by Dennis G. Casebier
Camp Rock Spring by Dennis G. Casebier
Maruba, Homesteading in Lanfair Valley by Maud Morrow Sharp and Margaret Sharp Moore
The Silence and the Sun by Joe De Kehoe (2017)
Four Miles East of Bagdad by Steve Reyes (2024)
Tecopa Mines, Operating during 82 years of the Death Valley Mining Region by Ken Lengner
Shoshone Cemetery by Shoshone Museum Association
More Tales of Tecopa, A Memoir of a Frontier Mining Town by Mary Lou Walbergh
Barstow Depots & Harvey Houses by Mojave River Valley Museum Association
A Railroader’s Family, Life in the Mojave Desert, 2nd Ed. by Ruben “Benny” Arredando
Caught Dead to Rights by Zoe Crevecoeur-Erickson
Postcards From Mecca, The California Desert Photographs of Susie Keef Smith and Lula Mae Graves 1916-1936, Edited by Ann Japenga and Warner V. Graves III
Pilgrims in the Desert, Early History of the East Mojave Desert and the Baker, California Area by Le Hayes
Abandoned Settlements of the Eastern Mojave, Hart, Vanderbilt, Vontrigger, Lanfair, Maruba (Ledge), Dunbar, Barnwell (Manvel). Western Places, Vol. 8-3 by Alan Hensher
Ghost Towns of the Mojave Desert by Alan Hensher
Bodie to Calico, Picture Guide to Treasure Trails of the Early Pioneers by G. Andrew Miller
It Looked Like Eden, Reminences of a Telepraph Operator Afton Depot, Mojave Desert, 1942-43 by Robert C. Rowe
You Don’t Know What Lonesome Is, Who is Buried in the Cemetery? by Russel L. Kaldenberg
Trackwoman Number Two, Revision of Four Years of Track Life by Frances Armstrong Wood
They Saw the Elephant, Women of the California Gold Rush by Jo Ann Levy
The Gold Mines of Blackhawk Canyon, San Bernardino-Big Bear by Walter Del Mar
Gold Gamble by Roberta Martin Starry
Gold and Silver in the Mojave; Images of the Last Frontier by Nicholas Clapp
Roadside Geology of Southern California by Sylvester & O’Black Gans
Mines of the East Fork by John W. Robinson
Big Bear Panorama by Big Bear High School, Edited by Beatrice Pedder
Trails and Tales of the Cajon Pass: The Man Who Built Camp Cajon by Sandy & John Hockaday
Vanishing Big Bear, a Photographic History of Big Bear Lake by Rick Keppler
When Big Bear was Wild and Wooly: As Told to Anne and Rip Rosemier, Vol-4 by Anne Roark
Lucerne Valley, A Wild West Town of Characters, 2nd Edition by Lucerne Valley Museum Association
Red Light Women of Death Valley by Robin Flinchum
Wicked Women; Notorious, Mischievous, and Wayward Ladies from the Old West by Chris Enss
Mrs. Earp; the Wives and Lovers of the Earp Brothers by Sherry Monahan
The Happy Bottom Riding Club by Lauren Kessler
Chasing the Demon: A Secret History of the Quest for the Sound Barrier, and the Band of American Aces Who Conquered It by Dan Hampton
Cabot Abram Yerxa: On the Desert Since 1913, published by Cabot’s Museum Foundation (pub. 2011)
A Girl’s Guide to Missiles: Growing up in America’s Secret Desert by Karen Piper
Ghost Town School Marm by Tom Core (pub. 1993)
Pioneer of the Mojave; the Life and Times of Aaron G. Lane by Richard & Kathryn L. Thompson (pub. 1995)
True Tales of the Mojave Desert from Talking Rocks to Yucca Man, edited by Peter Wild
Historic Aircraft Wrecks of San Bernardino County by G. Pat Macha
Hard Road West; Alone on the California Trail by Gwen Moffat
Mojave Stories: Growing up in the Middle of the California Desert in the 1950s — A Memoir, by Cheryl Nafzger
Nomads Of The Badlands: Continuing the Wilhelms’ adventures prospecting the Mojave Deserts of Arizona, Nevada, and California in 1915 by Walt Wilhelm
Policing the Old Mojave Desert by L.A. “Buzz” Banks
Arizona Ghost Towns: 50 of the State’s Best Places to Get a Glimpse of the Old West by Noah Austin
Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps Illustrated Atlas Volume One-Northern Nevada (Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps) by Stanley W. Paher
Death Valley to Yosemite: Frontier Mining Camps & Ghost Towns by L. Burr Belden & Mary DeDecker
The Old Spanish Trail Across the Mojave Desert: A History and Guide by Harold Austin Steiner
Southern California SUV Trails II by Roger& Loris Mitchell
Gem Trails of Southern California by James R. Mitchell
Guide to Highway 395 Los Angeles to Reno by Ginny Clark
The Anza-Borrego Desert Region by Lowell & Dana Lindsay
California Trails Desert Region, Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails by Charles Wells & Matt Peterson
Weekend Driver San Diego by Jack Brundais
Las Vegas & Vicinity Daytrippin’ by Russell & Kathlynn Spencer
Hiking the Mojave Desert, Natural and Cultural Heritage of Mojave National Preserve by Michael Digonnet
Bill Mann’s Guide to 50 Interesting & Mysterious Sites in the Mojave Volume 1 by Bill Mann (Other volumes available)
Geoglyphs of the Desert Southwest, Earthen Art as Viewed from Above by Harry Casey and Anne Morgan
Marshal South & the Ghost Mountain Chronicles, an Experiment in Primitive Living by Sunbelt Publications (pub. 2005)
The Complete Survival in the Southwest: Guide to Desert Survival by Arizona Bushman
The Adobes of Twentynine Palms, Second Edition by Pat Rimmington
History of Victor Valley by Edward Leo Lyman
Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
Mojave Desert Dictionary by Patricia A. Schoffstall
The Ultimate Route 66 Cookbook by Northland Publishing
California’s Haunted Route 66 by Brian Clune
The Harvey House Cookbook, Memories of Dining the Santa Fe Railroad by George H. Foster and Peter C. Weiglin
Louie, Take a Look at This; My Time with Huell Howser by Luis Fuerte
Historical Casitas of La Quinta Cove, Spanish Colonial Revival 1935-1941 by Maggie Gordon
La Quinta Legend in the Making by Victoria J. Bailey and Gayle Biondi
La Quinta, Images of America by La Quinta Historical Society
Coachella Valley Above All by Richard J. Soltys
Favorite Trails of Desert Riders by Doni Hubbard
The Best Guide Ever to Palm Springs Celebrity Homes by Eric G. Meeks
Jack’s Palm Springs and Valley Cities Close Up by Jack Titus (1996)
Weekender’s Guide , Points of Interest and Walks Along the Paved Roads of Anza-Borrego State Park by Paul R. Johnson
Borrego Beginnings Early Days in the Borrego Valley 1910-1960 by Phil Brigandi
Best Easy Day Hikes Joshua Tree by Bill Cunningham and Polly Burke
Joshua Tree, The Complete Guide by James Kaiser
Palm Springs, Images of America by Moya Henderson and the Palm Springs Historical Society
Palm Springs Then and Now by Roger C. Palmer, PhD
Palm Springs: The Landscape, The History, The Lore by Mary Jo Churchwell
Pioneers of Riverside County: The Spanish, Mexican and Early American Periods by Steve Lech
Along the Old Roads A history of the settlement and formation of Riverside County, California Volumes 1 and 2 by Steve Lech
Cycling the Palm Springs Region by Nelson Copp
140 Great Hikes in and near Palm Springs by Philip Ferranti with Frank Koenig
Palm Springs Legends, Creation of a Desert Oasis by Greg Nieman
Hidden Picture-Perfect Escapes Palm Springs by Richard Mahier
100 Things to do in Palm Springs Before You Die, 2nd Edition by Lydia Kremer
Peaks, Palms & Picnics, Day Journeys in the Mountains & Deserts… by Linda McMillin Pyle
View From the Saddle, Characters Who Crossed My Trail by Frank M. Bogert (2006)
Palm Springs First Hundred Years by Frank M. Bogert (1987)
Insider’s Guide to Palm Springs by Carolyn Patten
Palm Springs Babylon, Sizzling Stories From the Desert Playground of the Stars by Ray Mungo
Palm Springs Holiday, A Vintage Tour from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea by Peter Moruzzi
Backstories of the Palm Springs Windmills by Thomas Spiglanin
Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley by Jim Carr
The McCallum Saga by Katherine Ainsworth (1973)
Whew! We have lots more books on our bookshelves but we had to stop our inventory somewhere. If you don’t see one of your favorite titles in our recommendations, just drop us a line and let us know so we can dig it out of our collection and add it to our public list, or order it for ourselves. Bonus tip: Whenever you enjoy a book, read its bibliography. It will name authors and book titles you may want to purchase for further reading. Please let us know if you would be interested in us starting a book club dedicated to desert books!
Disclosure: As amazon affiliates we may earn a small commission to support our website if you order directly from our amazon links.
All featured art by Carl Eytel c. 1900.
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A perfect treatise on the joys of reading, especially when applied to the marvelous and sometimes malevolent appearing desert that we all love. A real pleasure to read.
Thank you for your kind words. We appreciate it!