The Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes (Dover Earth Science) [Paperback]

R. A. Bagnold (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0486439313 | ISBN-13: 978-0486439310 | Publication Date: January 26, 2005

This classic work was used by NASA in studying sand dunes on Mars and is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students. The first book to deal exclusively with the behavior of blown sand and related land forms, its accessible style makes it an enduring reference. 84 figures. 16 halftones.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (January 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486439313
• ISBN-13: 978-0486439310
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #705,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 'bible' of aeolian studies, December 12, 2002

By 

Paul Guinnessy (Silver Spring, MD United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes (Hardcover)

If you speak to anyone in the small community that continues to study the behaviour of wind-blown material, there is always one book that is referred as 'the bible.' Although some of the physics is a bit out-of-date, Bagnold writes in such an accessible style that even 50 years from now his book will still be the first recommendation a scientist will give a PhD student to read as an introduction to the field. Recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanting of wind-blown sand starts here, August 6, 2009

By 

Herman Jackson - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes (Dover Earth Science) (Paperback)

Less than 5 minutes ago I placed my order for a copy of the Dover reprint of this classic first published in 1954. Although much research has been done since then, Bagnold is still an essential reference, and I for one am elated to know that it is available. Bagnold wrote from the vantage point of an engineer who had lived in and pioneered travel in deserts considered to be impassable. Because of this the book is not only sound from a technical viewpoint (engineer), but also from the viewpoint of a man who had "been there and done that."

The science of Geomorphology is being stretched in new directions today. Originally Geomorphology (Physiography) was essentially a purely descriptive science. Today application to the real world - environmental, engineering - and detailed understanding of the underlying physical and chemical processes are the active areas. Bagnold's approach was totally in keeping with today's emphasis. Application of his intimate knowledge of the Libian desert proved to be invaluable to the British Army in World War II, a topic discussed in another Bagnold book "Libian Sands: Travel in a Dead World".

I first encountered this book some 50 years ago as an undergraduate geology student, and was at that time overwhelmed by the comprehensive observation and research on which the book is based as well as the readable style. In a few weeks I will be teaching a course in Geomorphology, a topic I have used in mineral exploration over the past few decades, but which I have not approached from an academic viewpoint in nearly half a century. In approaching the topic one of my early thoughts was that I needed to locate a copy of Bagnold. My first thought was that I'd locate a used copy - probably one discarded by a librarian who could read the date of publication but was ignorant of the relevance even today of this work. Thanks to Dover the book is not only available, but available at a reasonable price.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have, September 20, 2009

By 

Mauricio M. Perillo "MMP" (Urbana, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes (Dover Earth Science) (Paperback)

If you are going to do any studies on bedforms, you want to have this in your library. There are some things that are out of date, but the basis of the field was partially written in this great book.