Marq de Villiers is a distinguished author and journalist whose work delves into exploration, history, politics, and travel. His writing is characterized by its depth and scope, often focusing on critical resources and their significance to humanity. Villiers offers readers compelling insights into the world around us.
Exploring the significance of the English longbow, this book delves into its construction from rare yew wood and its unparalleled qualities of accuracy, rapid firing, and lethality. It highlights how this formidable weapon played a crucial role in altering the balance of power in medieval Europe, showcasing its impact on warfare and society during that era.
A historical and literary journey through the many Hells.
Addressing the interconnected crises of global warming, energy shortages, and overpopulation, this book presents a comprehensive perspective on humanity's challenges. It emphasizes that while these issues exacerbate each other, effective solutions can also be mutually reinforcing. Highlighting ongoing sustainability efforts across the globe, it offers a roadmap for scaling these initiatives to foster significant, enduring change. The narrative inspires hope by showcasing practical approaches to transform our societal trajectory towards a sustainable future.
In a book that is beautifully written and full of surprises, Marq de Villiers and Sheila Hirtle describe the Sahara desert in all its remarkable complexity. The authors’ revelations reinforce some common assumptions about the “Great Emptiness” – but others are challenged. There’s water in the Sahara – massive aquifers sufficient to irrigate farmlands for decades. Just fifteen per cent of the Sahara is covered by sand; much of the rest is mountainous. Sand dunes move, but they don’t drift so much as hop, skip, dance, and swirl. The desert appears barren, but teems with life: lizards and snakes, jerboas and foxes, scorpions and endless swarms of bugs make their living in this harsh region. So do ancient and nomadic peoples: Berbers, Chaambra, Moors, Bedouin, Tuareg, Tubu. There has been commerce in the Sahara for hundreds of years. Salt, gold, and slaves are mined, harvested, and traded there still. The authors explore the majesty and mystery of this great African enigma in a journey that is enriched both by historical insight and practical experience.
In his award-winning book WATER, Marq de Villiers provides an eye-opening account of how we are using, misusing, and abusing our planet's most vital resource. Encompassing ecological, historical, and cultural perspectives, de Villiers reports from hot spots as diverse as China, Las Vegas, and the Middle East, where swelling populations and unchecked development have stressed fresh water supplies nearly beyond remedy. Political struggles for control of water rage around the globe, and rampant pollution daily poses dire ecological theats. With one eye on these looming crises and the other on the history of our dependence on our planet's most precious commodity, de Villiers has crafted a powerful narrative about the lifeblood of civilizations that will be "a wake-up call for concerned citizens, environmentalists, policymakers, and water drinkers everywhere" (Publishers Weekly).