Men of Salt

Salt was once worth its weight in gold, and treks to mine salt slabs from the heart of the Sahara desert are still made as they were throughout centuries—on a caravan of camels. American writer Benanav was compelled to join the Caravan of White Gold and traveled with nomads, eating meals of sand-covered goat entrails, drinking rancid water, getting lost for a day or two at a time, and enduring blistering heat and freezing nights in the open air.

Along the way, he wrote fascinating stories about the perilous life of a camel, the family values of a real nomad, the treating of injured miners in a desert, and the cultural differences of labor and money. This is a well-reviewed travel narrative unlike any other, and it is accompanied by stunning full-color photographs. It will appeal to readers of Stiff, Salt, and fans of Jonathan Raban and Bill Bryson.