Customer Reviews

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

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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 Although some of the physics is a bit out-of-date, Bagnold writes in such an accessible style that even 50 years from now his book will still be the first recommendation a scientist will give a PhD student to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.

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.

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.

My interest in this book stems from two things: (1) as a hobby (I am an arenophile) , and (2) by occupation. I am a materials engineer who specializes on friction and wear (a 'tribologist'). Particles play a role in friction and wear, so their motions and physics helps to explain, for example, certain types of abrasive behavior and lubricated friction in which the oil contains hard particles like grit or wear debris. I agree entirely with prior reviews that this book is a must have for those with an interest in the motions of hard particles. While dated, the discussion of the motions and physics of sand particles is quite readable and provides intriguing insights, phenomena that many of us have observed and wondered about without taking the time to dig into the subject (pun intended).

Bagnold's work is an excellent introduction and the price is excellent for such a unique monograph. ... Those were the days when people did real experiments in a laboratory or in the field instead of sitting front of a computer and only imagining what might happen. Buy it!