The Sheltering Desert: A Classic Tale of Escape and Survival in the Namib Desert

The Sheltering Desert, first published in the U.S. in 1958, is a classic account of desert survival in then South-West Africa (now Namibia). Rather than face internment with the outbreak of World War II, two young German geologists, Henno Martin and Hermann Korn (and their dog Otto), decide to remain free by taking to the desert. For the next 2-1/2 years, the men lived first on their small store of supplies, then on what they could hunt or catch. The book details their everyday struggle to survive in the harsh Namibian desert, as well as the men's reflections on life, nature, and evolution. Their desert saga ended in 1942 when Korn became ill with beri-beri and needed medical attention. Note that this kindle edition is not illustrated. After the war, author Henno Martin remained in Namibia, working as a geologist, and in 1964 returned to Germany to head the Department of Geology at the University of Göttingen; he died in Germany in 1998. Hermann Korn tragically died in an automobile accident in Namibia in 1946.