Book excerpt: A travel anthology that gathers the best adventure stories from the world's most barren landscapes. Ranging from 19th-century explorers to modern-day journalists, these desert trekkers deal with everything from deserting men, corrupt armed soldiers, and Nigerian bush taxis to suspicious natives, stubborn camels, and debilitating sunburn. These thirteen tales are more than suspenseful; they also show how life can survive in the most punishing climates. “The night was heavy with foreboding. The rain, which had been spitting down on us during the late afternoon, grew heavier. It hurled into our faces, borne by a wind that was now gusting between the dunes at full force. . . . It was the worst storm we had encountered and Ned was out in it alone.” —Justin Marozzi, South from Barbary Also featuring: Robyn Davidson's Desert Places-Robyn Davidson follows the Rubari people across the Thar as she tries to adapt to a difficult-but fascinating-way of life. Michael Asher's Two Against the Sahara-Newlyweds embark upon a nine-month, 4500-mile journey across the world's largest desert, traveling from Morocco to Sudan. Bayle St. John's Adventure in the Libyan Desert-In 1847, a team of four trek deep into Libya in search of an oasis. But what they find is even more astounding…