Old Bookaroo
Silver Member
- Dec 4, 2008
- 4,318
- 3,510
âLost City Literature
I just started reading Douglas Prestonâs Lost City of the Monkey God (2017) and he discusses John Lloyd Stephensâ excellent two volume Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan (1841) - âperhaps the most interesting travel book ever publishedâ (Edgar Allen Poe).
This was followed by Incidents of Travel in the Yucatan (1843), also in two volumes - another classic. Due credit, of course, must be given to the outstanding illustrator of both works - Frederick Catherwood.
This mention got me thinking about the general literature of books about the search for lost cities. Iâm going to mention a few volumes Iâve enjoyed - and I certainly hope others expand the roster. This are not fiction (at least, the authors state they are not). Lost city novels would be a interesting topic, but one I will save for another time.
Thereâs the much more recent, and quite good, book The Lost City of Z; A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon (all books today seem to require a title parted in the middle) by David Grann (2005). It has been mentioned several times here on TN. It is a well-told story about Percy Fawcettâs search for a lost city in the Amazon jungle.
Anyone interested in this saga should read his son Brianâs Expedition Fawcett (1958) - âpraised by Graham Greene and Harold Nicolson.â Mr. Gannâs extensive bibliography doesnât mention this book, but it does list Ruins in the Sky (1958). Perhaps that is the English editionâs title.
Peter Flemingâs (Ianâs brother) classic Brazilian Adventure (1933) must be inserted here. It is not a book about the search for a lost city. Mr. Fleming answered a newspaper advertisement seeking another gun to join an expedition with âreturn doubtfulâ (which would have made a much better title!). It was a hunt for Col. Fawcett and his expedition.
The PBS series âSecrets of the Deadâ included an episode on Col. Fawcett - Lost in the Amazon. Not, strictly speaking, a book. But still worth mentioning.
Certainly one of the classics in the lost city literature genre is Hiram Binghamâs Lost City of the Incas (1948) - a firsthand account of his search of the legendary city of Vilcabamba, capital city of the last ruler of the Inca ruler. Determination and good fortune (which seem to often go hand-in-hand) Bingham found the perfectly preserved ruins of Machu Picchu perched on a cloud-capped ledge 2000 feet above the torrential Urubamba River. Unlike some of the other authors of lost cities books, Bingham actually found one!
A side note. Keep a weather eye out for copies of the April 1913 National Geographic magazine with Binghamâs âIn the Wonderland of Peru.â Particularly with the map and fold-out illustrations. Early copies of the NG will bring about ten dollars - nice copies of this edition sell for over $200.
The White Rock; An Exploration of the Inca Heartland by Hugh Thomson (2003) - thereâs that bifurcated title again! - has been in my âto readâ pile for some time. I canât comment on it beyond mentioning it here. Perhaps other TN members have made the time to read it and can offer an informed opinion.
Finally, there is the charming Quest for the Lost City by Dana and Ginger Lamb (1951), describing their explorations in Mexico. They made a film of their hunt - which may have influenced their claims of discovery. It wouldnât be the first time - or the last. This book is an interesting artifact from the 1940âs, when adventure travel could be a mom and pop affair. I suppose that it could still be today, but itâs doubtful a book describing it would receive the notoriety this one got.
Actually, that shouldnât be âfinally.â Because, as mentioned above, I encourage other TN to add their favorites to the list. The best TN threads have long responses, and I certainly hope this is one of them!
Good luck to all,
The Old Bookaroo, CM
I just started reading Douglas Prestonâs Lost City of the Monkey God (2017) and he discusses John Lloyd Stephensâ excellent two volume Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan (1841) - âperhaps the most interesting travel book ever publishedâ (Edgar Allen Poe).
This was followed by Incidents of Travel in the Yucatan (1843), also in two volumes - another classic. Due credit, of course, must be given to the outstanding illustrator of both works - Frederick Catherwood.
This mention got me thinking about the general literature of books about the search for lost cities. Iâm going to mention a few volumes Iâve enjoyed - and I certainly hope others expand the roster. This are not fiction (at least, the authors state they are not). Lost city novels would be a interesting topic, but one I will save for another time.
Thereâs the much more recent, and quite good, book The Lost City of Z; A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon (all books today seem to require a title parted in the middle) by David Grann (2005). It has been mentioned several times here on TN. It is a well-told story about Percy Fawcettâs search for a lost city in the Amazon jungle.
Anyone interested in this saga should read his son Brianâs Expedition Fawcett (1958) - âpraised by Graham Greene and Harold Nicolson.â Mr. Gannâs extensive bibliography doesnât mention this book, but it does list Ruins in the Sky (1958). Perhaps that is the English editionâs title.
Peter Flemingâs (Ianâs brother) classic Brazilian Adventure (1933) must be inserted here. It is not a book about the search for a lost city. Mr. Fleming answered a newspaper advertisement seeking another gun to join an expedition with âreturn doubtfulâ (which would have made a much better title!). It was a hunt for Col. Fawcett and his expedition.
The PBS series âSecrets of the Deadâ included an episode on Col. Fawcett - Lost in the Amazon. Not, strictly speaking, a book. But still worth mentioning.
Certainly one of the classics in the lost city literature genre is Hiram Binghamâs Lost City of the Incas (1948) - a firsthand account of his search of the legendary city of Vilcabamba, capital city of the last ruler of the Inca ruler. Determination and good fortune (which seem to often go hand-in-hand) Bingham found the perfectly preserved ruins of Machu Picchu perched on a cloud-capped ledge 2000 feet above the torrential Urubamba River. Unlike some of the other authors of lost cities books, Bingham actually found one!
A side note. Keep a weather eye out for copies of the April 1913 National Geographic magazine with Binghamâs âIn the Wonderland of Peru.â Particularly with the map and fold-out illustrations. Early copies of the NG will bring about ten dollars - nice copies of this edition sell for over $200.
The White Rock; An Exploration of the Inca Heartland by Hugh Thomson (2003) - thereâs that bifurcated title again! - has been in my âto readâ pile for some time. I canât comment on it beyond mentioning it here. Perhaps other TN members have made the time to read it and can offer an informed opinion.
Finally, there is the charming Quest for the Lost City by Dana and Ginger Lamb (1951), describing their explorations in Mexico. They made a film of their hunt - which may have influenced their claims of discovery. It wouldnât be the first time - or the last. This book is an interesting artifact from the 1940âs, when adventure travel could be a mom and pop affair. I suppose that it could still be today, but itâs doubtful a book describing it would receive the notoriety this one got.
Actually, that shouldnât be âfinally.â Because, as mentioned above, I encourage other TN to add their favorites to the list. The best TN threads have long responses, and I certainly hope this is one of them!
Good luck to all,
The Old Bookaroo, CM
Last edited: