Rising in a seemingly endless procession from an ancient lake bed in the Tularosa Basin of southern New Mexico, the stark gypsum dunes of White Sands National Monument grow, crest, and slump, driven by the wind. The sands form an ecological island where desert plants and animals have adapted to a bright and shifting world. This stunning book describes the area's natural and human history, including the detonation of the first atomic bomb at the nearby Trinity site. Photos by Michael Collier, plus rare historical images.