Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as They Were and as They Are Today

by Travis Elborough

Overview

Imagine what the world once looked like as you discover places that have disappeared from modern atlases in this stunningly illustrated and award-winning book.

Have you ever wondered about cities that lie forgotten under the dust of newly settled land? Rivers and seas whose changing shape has shifted the landscape around them? Or, even, places that have seemingly vanished, without a trace?
 
Following the international bestselling success of Atlas of Improbable Places and Atlas of the Unexpected, Travis Elborough takes you on a voyage to all corners of the world in search of the lost, disappearing and vanished. Discover ancient seats of power and long-forgotten civilizations through the Mayan city of Palenque; delve into the mystery of a disappeared Japanese islet; and uncover the incredible hidden sites like the submerged Old Adaminaby, once abandoned but slowly remerging.

With beautiful maps and stunning colour photography, Atlas of Vanishing Places shows these places as they once were as well as how they look today: a fascinating guide to lost lands and the fragility of our relationship with the world around us.

WINNER Illustrated Book of the Year - Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2020
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780711281158
Publisher:	Aurum
Publication date:	08/23/2022
Series:	Unexpected Atlases
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Described as 'one of the country's finest pop culture historians', Travis Elborough is an acclaimed author and social commentator who lives in London. His work delves into the ephemera of retro culture as well as the history of London, geography, and a broad range of other subjects. His Atlas of Vanishing Places won the Illustrated Book of the Year at the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards in 2020, and he has also written The Bus We Loved, a passionate love letter to the Routemaster bus which defined London transport for more than 50 years. His other works include A Traveller’s Year, A London Year, The Long-Player Goodbye, Being A Writer and A Walk in the Park: The Life and Times of a People’s Institution. Travis is a regular contributor to Radio 4 and the Guardian, and has penned articles on all aspects of travel and culture, from pirates in the Caribbean to donkeys at the British seaside. He has written for the Times, Sunday Times, New Statesman, BBC History Magazine and Kinfolk among others, and is a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster, where he teaches creative writing.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
ANCIENT CITIES
MOHENJO-DARO-PAKISTAN
HATTUSA-TURKEY
LEPTIS MAGNA-LIBYA
XANADU-MONGOLIA/CHINA
CIUDAD PERDIDA-COLOMBIA
MAHABALIPURAM-INDIA
PALENQUE-MEXICO
HELIKE-GREECE
PETRA-JORDAN
TIMGAD-ALGERIA
ALEXANDRIA-EGYPT
FORGOTTEN LANDS
CHAN CHAN-PERU
ROANOKE-NORTH CAROLINA, USA
THE MOSQUE CITY OF BAGERHAT-BANGLADESH
RIVER FLEET-LONDON, UK
LION CITY-CHINA
OLD ADAMINABY-AUSTRALIA
PORT ROYAL-JAMAICA
ESANBEHANAKITAKOJIMA-JAPAN
THE LOST SEA-CRAIGHEAD CAVERNS, TENNESSEE, USA
BODIE-CALIFORNIA, USA
FLAGSTAFF-MAINE, USA
SHRINKING PLACES
RIVER DANUBE-EUROPE
THE DEAD SEA-JORDAN/ISRAEL
SLIMS RIVER-YUKON, CANADA
SKIPSEA-YORKSHIRE, UK
THE EVERGLADES-FLORIDA, USA
THREATENED WORLDS
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK-MONTANA, USA
CHIHUAHUAN DESERT-MEXICO/USA
TIMBUKTU-MALI
SKARA BRAE-ORKNEY
YAMUNA RIVER-INDIA
VENICE-ITALY
THE CONGO BASIN RAINFOREST-DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF-AUSTRALIA
THE GREAT WALL-CHINA
TUVALU-SOUTH PACIFIC
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
PICTURE CREDITS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INDEX
 

Editorial Reviews

‘Travis Elborough writes about a wide range of subjects with originality, learning and charm.’ David Kynaston
 
‘A reminder of earthly evanescence — and of the urgency to preserve what we can of what remains.’ Nature Magazine 
 

From the Publisher