The Atlas of Lost Cities: Legendary Cities Rediscovered Review

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(More customer reviews)Brenda Rosen's Atlas of Lost Cities is not so much an atlas (although there are definitely maps and diagrams) as much as its a guidebook to lost cities. Cities are born, grow and die, and some are lost, to one degree or another.
The Atlas of Lost Cities takes on a number of these lost cities. The entries are arranged thematically in a slightly idiosyncratic fashion. Rather than by geography or age, the cities are arranged by theme. Thus, for example, we have "Cities of the Sea", cities which were lost to the sea (or lost one way or another their sea connection) which includes Akrotiti, Dunwich and Mahabalipuram. "Cities hidden by mists and mountains" gives us entries on Petra, Machu Picchu and Pompeii.
I was a bit annoyed by this layout, which makes it less than useful in trying to find an individual city. There is no index of just the cities, either. So, finding Technochtitlan, for example is a bit of a challenge. Is it under Cities of Hills and Mountains? Cities of Kings? No, its under Cities of the Hills and Plains.
With these criticisms aside, the individual entries, ranging from one to two pages, are brief, but adorned with beautiful photography and diagrams of many of the cities. Each of the themes has a frontispiece section about the theme, sometimes briefly mentioning cities not given full entries, or about mythical cities on the theme.
Even if the individual entries are a bit short IMO, and the layout could have been better, the collection together is an interesting and well thought out group of cities. It's an enjoyable book to flip through, and randomly learn a bit about places familiar and unfamiliar, like Pelaque, or Nineveh, or Vineta.
My gaming friends might like this book for ideas for lost civilizations and other exotic locales for pulp games and the like.

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Some of the most extraordinary ancient cities that have been abandoned, forgotten, or hidden by time are now revealed in their full splendor. Examining the role of natural and man-made disasters, rulers and their hostile neighbors, and the fate of cities built to celebrate religious beliefs, this fascinating volume features stunning photography of major archaeological sites and recently discovered cities. Detailed reconstructions and maps trace the lost beauty and ancient wisdom embodied in the Borobodur in Java, Aphrodisias in Turkey, and Niya in Central Asia. An illuminating and thought-provoking work that builds on the recent success of numerous bestsellers about how and why ancient civilizations fail, it will prove an invaluable reference.

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