In 1880, an ill-fated French expedition headed across the Sahara to investigate the possibility of building a railroad across the desert for the quick exportation of salt, gold, and ivory to Europe. The expedition turned into a massacre of the French by the native Tuareg. These "lords of the desert" were a rather ruthless lot that robbed, starved, and tricked many strangers, or invaders, as a means of survival in one of the harshest climates on Earth. At first seeming to be sincere guides on the expedition, they double-crossed the French, leading them into traps, dead ends, and hostile areas. Asher (Khartoum) has written an impressively detailed account of this expedition, using firsthand sources such as French Foreign Legion reports and letters and narratives by French survivors (a dozen of the 100 or so men managed to survive the 1000-km trek back north after being attacked). This well-told story is recommended for high school and public library collections on Africa and on European incursions there.