"Sand" Author Joins Geoblogosphere

I've blurbed him and now I'll blog him: he's Michael Welland, author of the new Sand, The Never-Ending Story. Like many authors, he can't put his subject down and besides, there are always worthy things that missed the cut. Today the solution is to launch a blog, and Welland's is Through the Sandglass. I've updated my blog list: now update yours.

Blurbing is something you start doing once you've been a writer long enough. University of California Press sent me Sand in galleys and I praised the book. They extracted this blurb from what I told them: "Sand has given rise to commentary, both poetic and scientific, from the earliest human times. Michael Welland ably winnows this literature, making the subject of sand his base station for a journey around the whole earth system. An impressive achievement." For now, that will be my review, but I'll post a longer one soon. Sand is handsome, it's well written, and it's got great illustrations. And colophon aficionados will delight to see its designer: Sandy Drooker.

Black sand ash tray — Geology Guide photo