Cabinet 63: The Desert

A zone of deprivation and emptiness but also a space for adventure and even divine revelation, the desert has historically resisted human domination, even as it has continued to tantalize the cultural imagination. Cabinet issue 63, with a special section on "The Desert," includes Maria Golia on the long history of tomb raiding in Egypt; Margaret Spelling on her recent visit to the town built in the Andalusian desert as a set for Italian spaghetti westerns; and Jonathan Randall on climate change and the shifting boundaries of the world's deserts. Elsewhere in the issue: George Pendle on the unusual friendship between RAND Corporation strategist Herman Kahn and performance artist James Lee Byars; Adam Jasper on the surprising history of the "lorem ipsum" placeholder text used universally by designers and publishers; and Volker Welter on visiting sites significant to F.W. Murnau's ill-fated life in Hollywood.