We are now selling our 7th printing of this popular book, a 2017 update of our 4th Edition. Winner of five top book honors, this guide to awe-inspiring landscapes of the Southwest is a lavishly illustrated, non-technical account of what they are, where they are, and how they came to be, covering southern California to west Texas & northern Mexico to northern Utah & Nevada. Full of visual and factual surprises, this book can be enjoyed on many levels. Each page-spread is self-contained for clarity and ease of use at home or on the road. Richly illustrated with 315 color photographs, 33 drawings, 7 maps (including a 15″ x 20” tear-out road map). Annotated listings for 109 scenic attractions, 63 outstanding books, and 136 useful websites. Comprehensive index. Ecologist and photographer Thomas Wiewandt blends art and science to reveal the mystery, beauty, and complexity of the natural world. His films for the National Geographic Society and the BBC have earned him an Emmy Nomination in cinematography, a Gold Apple Award, and four Cine Golden Eagles; and his children's book Hidden Life of the Desert (Random House/Crown, 1990) made the John Burroughs List of Outstanding Nature Books for Young Readers. His work has also been featured in many books, calendars, and magazines worldwide, including Audubon, Arizona Highways, Smithsonian, National Wildlife, Geo, and publications by the National Geographic Society. Wiewandt holds degrees in zoology and ecology (MS, University of Arizona; PhD, Cornell), and serves on the IUCN Species Survival Commission for endangered iguanas. He lives in the desert foothills west of Tucson. This book grew from more than a decade of leading photographic workshops and natural history tours in the Southwest. Geologist Maureen Wilks directs the Geological Information Center at the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources in Socorro, a specialized library and archive focused on the state's mineral and water resources and its mining and petroleum industries. She is also responsible for New Mexico's geochronological database. Her degrees are in geology and geochemistry (BA, Oxford; MS, University of Saskatchewan; PhD, New Mexico Tech). She has been awarded eleven research grants and scholarships since 1988. Wilks was lured to the Southwest by images of red rock country, cacti, wildflowers, and sunny skies. When not working at the Bureau, Wilks writes both fiction and nonfiction; and when not writing she is out exploring with her husband, Bob.