Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as They Were and as They Are Today
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- Create Date：2022-09-04 06:52:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Travis Elborough
- ISBN：0711281157
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Summary
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
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
Reviews
Amy
，
As an archaeology buff， I really enjoyed reading this book of places that have vanished or are in danger of vanishing。 I enjoyed the background on each place， especially Roanoke， a place that has fascinated me since childhood。I think this book would appeal especially to those interested in history， natural history， and archaeology。 Thank you Netgalley， for the ARC！
Lady
，
This was a very interesting book。 There was so many fascinating facts and places you would never see if it wasn't for books like this。 I just loved the layout of this book giving all sorts of information you would need about each location。 Maps， coordinates， pictures and fascinating information for each location。 I loved the fact at the start of this bookthere is a world map showing each location marked on。 You will definitely travel the world reading this book。 I definitely recommend this book This was a very interesting book。 There was so many fascinating facts and places you would never see if it wasn't for books like this。 I just loved the layout of this book giving all sorts of information you would need about each location。 Maps， coordinates， pictures and fascinating information for each location。 I loved the fact at the start of this bookthere is a world map showing each location marked on。 You will definitely travel the world reading this book。 I definitely recommend this book if you love travelling the world through a book or if you want to travel the world to the most interesting locations。 My only wish was that the pictures were in colour as this would give an extra dimension and really bring out the wonderful sense of atmosphere that this book creates。 There are also some rather shocking events that took place in some of these locations。 I especially was shocked at the story about the mountain glacier Park。 This book is part of a series and I have read them all so you could read them all or just pick out which ever ones speak out to you。 I didn't even know many of these places exist and I am so glad I discovered them。 I just wish I could visit them but this book is the next best thing to travelling。 I definitely learnt alot from reading this book。So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for bringing us these wonderful stories from unknown locations or hidden gems as I call them 。 I will definitely be looking out for more books by this fantastic author。 。。。more
Mrs Karen Bull
，
Absolutely fascinating book being able see places I never even knew about The detail on maps etc is stunning Well worth reading for anyone wants look at past we never be able get back
Brittany
，
This book had a great premise but an "okay" execution （note: I received a black-and-white advanced review copy， so I certainly missed out on the colorful aspects of the maps）。 I enjoyed the variety of locations covered -- we criss-cross all over the world -- and get photos， description， and maps of each place。 However， the descriptions were pretty inconsistent: some were too brief， and some were overly long; some were fact-heavy， and some were more literary。 It's unclear if the book knows its au This book had a great premise but an "okay" execution （note: I received a black-and-white advanced review copy， so I certainly missed out on the colorful aspects of the maps）。 I enjoyed the variety of locations covered -- we criss-cross all over the world -- and get photos， description， and maps of each place。 However， the descriptions were pretty inconsistent: some were too brief， and some were overly long; some were fact-heavy， and some were more literary。 It's unclear if the book knows its audience。。。。 if the book is meant to be a coffee table book， then brief text and ample pictures would have been best; if it is meant to be a non-fiction book， then a deeper dive into these places would have worked better。 As it is， the book reads unevenly。 。。。more
Lesley
，
This is the paperback edition of the award-winning "Atlas of Vanishing Places"。 It's a brilliant idea for a book， well-written， and illustrated by maps and stunning photographs。 The locations （some cities， some natural features like rivers） are arranged in order of age as applicable。 For the ancient cities， the author tells the story of the place， the people who lived there， and when and how it was discovered in modern times。 He provides maps of the original location as far as now known and mode This is the paperback edition of the award-winning "Atlas of Vanishing Places"。 It's a brilliant idea for a book， well-written， and illustrated by maps and stunning photographs。 The locations （some cities， some natural features like rivers） are arranged in order of age as applicable。 For the ancient cities， the author tells the story of the place， the people who lived there， and when and how it was discovered in modern times。 He provides maps of the original location as far as now known and modern maps showing where the city would be at present。 The locations are organized by Ancient Cities， Forgotten Lands， Shrinking Places， and Threatened Worlds。 Forgotten lands are countries or territories that vanished。 Shrinking places are bodies of water that are becoming ever smaller， mostly due to climate change。 Threatened worlds are disappearing as a result of human behavior and， again， changes in the environment。 This book is a marvelous gift for students of ancient history and more recent events where the manmade structures， body of water， or land was significant。 Students of geography and geology will also love the maps and photographs。 This is a book whose chapters can be enjoyed in any order。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Becca Wade
，
Great nonfiction read for lovers of Atlas Obscura and geography generally。 As a travel-lover， Travis’ book details the history and impacts of climate change on locations that are now “must visits” before they are forever changed。 I particularly enjoyed the deep dives into the history of Petra， Jordan， the Danube， and Venice
Meow558
，
Atlas of Vanishing Places， by Travis Elborough， is a fascinating new book。In this book， Elborough discusses many places that have disappeared or are in danger of disappearing。 I found this book very interesting。 It only covers a selection of places， but these places are well written。 It covers the history of the place in a very concise way， while also often adding interesting tidbits such as a mythological story about the place。 The book also has several pictures for each place。 My favourite thi Atlas of Vanishing Places， by Travis Elborough， is a fascinating new book。In this book， Elborough discusses many places that have disappeared or are in danger of disappearing。 I found this book very interesting。 It only covers a selection of places， but these places are well written。 It covers the history of the place in a very concise way， while also often adding interesting tidbits such as a mythological story about the place。 The book also has several pictures for each place。 My favourite thing is how the pictures are all themed， such as there being one or two maps， a picture of the place， and often a miscellaneous picture。 Lastly， I really liked how international this book was。 It showed places from all over the world， from nearly every continent。 I found this very exciting， many books focus more on Europe and the USA。I think this book was a very good introduction， I would have preferred if there were more places and more sections。 I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn about places that once existed and places that will be gone soon。 I think it would be good to use to decide where to go on vacations， and how you can save these places。Thank you to White Lion for this ARC on NetGalley。 。。。more
Krista
，
What follows on tactile paper and in print， and through words and pictures， if even perhaps accessed digitally， is a survey of landscape and locations transformed by circumstances， some much disputed， or improbable and entirely unexpected; others， depressingly， almost grimly predictable。 As such it ideally serves as a reminder of the mutability of existence but also a clarion call for the urgency of preserving what we hold dear for generations to come。 I read a digital ARC of the upcoming re- What follows on tactile paper and in print， and through words and pictures， if even perhaps accessed digitally， is a survey of landscape and locations transformed by circumstances， some much disputed， or improbable and entirely unexpected; others， depressingly， almost grimly predictable。 As such it ideally serves as a reminder of the mutability of existence but also a clarion call for the urgency of preserving what we hold dear for generations to come。 I read a digital ARC of the upcoming re-release of Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as They Were and as They Are Today， and while it was maybe not as consistently fascinating as I had hoped， I must note that this format didn’t include the “beautiful maps” and “stunning colour photography” promised in the publisher’s blurb （there are some black and white photos， but， alas， I read an atlas without maps; perhaps unfair to rate）。 As for the writing: Recounting the stories of some three dozen or so “vanished and vanishing places”， author Travis Elborough’s approach and tone throughout is rather inconsistent — sometimes professorial， sometimes colloquial — and as each story only lasts a few pages， there’s not a lot of depth here。 Again: it feels unfair to rate this without the maps （the original release won Illustrated Book of the Year at the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards）， but this book feels more like a jumping off point than the final word; coffee table book， not text book。 （Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final form。）Spanning from Xanadu to Timbuctu， Atlas of Vanishing Places is divided into four sections: Ancient Cities （familiar ones like Petra and Alexandria; new to me: the lost cities of Mohenjo-Daro in Pakistan and Leptos-Magna in Libya）; Forgotten Lands （like Chan Chan in Peru and the River Fleet in London）; Shrinking Places （the River Danube and the Florida Everglades）; and Threatened Worlds （Venice and the Great Barrier Reef）。 And initially， I thought this was exactly what I hoped it would be: An early entry is about the Hittites — mentioned in the Old Testament and said to have been as powerful as the Assyrians and Babylonians， archeologists wondered how they could have disappeared without leaving behind so much as a shard of pottery — but eventually， ruins were uncovered in the Anatolian region of Turkey that would be identified as Hattusa: the epicentre of the Hittite Empire， which had been settled as far back as the sixth millennium BC。 That was a wow to me: the actual rediscovery of a vanished， but once powerful， empire。 But some entries are like the “vanished'' city of Shi Cheng in China: founded in the Tang dynasty around 1，300 years ago， the city was intentionally flooded in 1959 in order to create the Xin’anjiang Reservoir and Xin’an river hydroelectric station。 Shi Cheng disappeared beneath the newly manmade Qiandao Lake and “for nearly fifty years Shi Cheng was almost entirely forgotten”。 It was “rediscovered” by divers in 2001， and now known as “The Atlantis of the East”， Shi Cheng has become a popular scuba diving tourist attraction。 Huh。 Lost for nearly fifty years。 Not a mind-blowing wow to me。As for the oddly colloquial writing style: In telling the history of Bodie， California — a gold mining ghost town that the state of California curiously maintains in the “state of arrested decay” it had when they took it over in 1962 （instead of preserving it to its “1880s heyday”） — Elborough writes: Something like 90 per cent of gold rush prospectors are calculated to have been male。 Who then can really blame them for wanting to kick back with a Scotch or a beer， play some cards， and seek the embrace of another， or the oblivion of the poppy pipe， after a day of breaking rocks。 But almost inevitably in a town inhabited by armed， and not infrequently inebriated transients， some ‘madder and badder’ to tangle with than others， violent crime was a fact of life。 Or when describing the pressures currently experienced by the Chihuahuan Desert on the American-Mexican border — which is in a state of ecological decline due to the diversion of water from the bordering Rio Grande/ Rio Bravo — Elborough writes: With a name believed to derive from the Nahuatl for ‘dry， sandy place’ （and subsequently bestowed on a local breed of small， hairless pet dogs） you’d expect the Chihuahuan Desert to be quite deserted。 This， after all， is North America’s largest desert， and deserts， by and large， are typically arid places where a lack of living things （water， trees， people） tends to be fairly front and centre。 But deserts， even the driest and least inviting to animals and plants， contain subtle multitudes。 And rather like silences （outside of vacuums） and as John Cage demonstrated with his famous 4'33" piece， they are often noisy with life。 The latter sections — which primarily deal with places that are under threat of vanishing due to current human activity — are mostly depressing。 We read about threats to the Great Wall of China （a study completed in 2014 found that three quarters of it was “poorly preserved”; in 2018 a section of the wall in Ningxia was even bulldozed for farmland without consequence）; the Yamuna in India is ‘“one of the dirtiest rivers on the planet” （more than twenty drains dispense toxic chemicals and raw sewage directly into the Yamuna in Delhi alone）， and at Agra， the filthiness of the Yamuna is causing the Taj Mahal to yellow as the river is failing to absorb air pollutants and other matter; there’s not much new to be learned about glacier loss in Glacier National Park， or the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef， or increasing flooding in Venice。On the other hand， I was intrigued （to the point of putting them on my fantasy travel bucket list） by the stories of two at-risk-of-vanishing locations: Skara Brae （or Skerrabra to the Orcadians） in the Orkney Islands （I had no idea that the Orkneys were only 80 km south of Greenland and experience some of the most extreme winds and waves in the world）。 Skara Brae （which was uncovered by extreme weather in 1850） consists of four circular dry-stone wall dwellings dating from between 3200 and 2000 BC and were， apparently， abandoned quite suddenly; leaving behind an incredible collection of Stone Age artefacts。 As the weather becomes ever more extreme， this coastal site could be washed away at any time。On the other end of the world， I was also intrigued by Tuvalu: “The fourth smallest nation on earth and comprised of six coral atolls and three reef islands flung across several thousand square miles of the South Pacific between Hawaii and Australia”， as far back as 1989 the United Nations declared them one of the “most likely groups to disappear beneath the ocean in the 21st century because of global warming”。 Despite its tropical island setting， Tuvalu is the least visited place on Earth （drawing about two thousand tourists a year）， their chief source of income comes from licensing its highly desirable internet domain， 。tv， to an American company。 Yet， despite many of its residents relocating to New Zealand for fear of the islands disappearing due to rising sea levels， a study by the University of Auckland in 2018 “maintained that the atolls far from shrinking have， overall， gained ground， with rising waves actually depositing more sediment onto their shores”。I do appreciate that Elborough chose sites from all around the world — there are many locales included in this book that I had never heard of before， and that’s what I was hoping for — and I’ll say again that， without the maps included， my experience is incomplete。 I will also say: I was never bored （even if I didn’t always appreciate the weirdly joking bits） but I guess I wanted more。 。。。more
Spencer
，
A good academic-style easy read。 Short enough to read on a lazy afternoon， yet is packed full of well found research。 I quite enjoyed the style of this book， with maps and pictures included。 The short background stories on ancient civilizations or even modern places that are shrinking are quite insightful。 I'm not sure how much of this could be based on facts， some of the information seems it could be speculation。 overall a good book to learn something new and kill an afternoon。 A good academic-style easy read。 Short enough to read on a lazy afternoon， yet is packed full of well found research。 I quite enjoyed the style of this book， with maps and pictures included。 The short background stories on ancient civilizations or even modern places that are shrinking are quite insightful。 I'm not sure how much of this could be based on facts， some of the information seems it could be speculation。 overall a good book to learn something new and kill an afternoon。 。。。more
Britt
，
Atlas of Vanishing Places includes a lot of short histories of ancient cities， forgotten lands， shrinking places and threatened worlds and the reason why they are disappearing。 I found them very interesting as I love history and anthropology。 The book is also filled with maps and photographs of these places to make it even more vivid what has been or will be lost。I would recommend this book to those who love history， maps， and would love to know more about places that we have lost to history。
Becky B
，
A survey of lost cities rediscovered and places in danger of disappearing。 Each is accompanied with a 2-3 page summary of its history， maps， and photos。This was an interesting read perfect for those collectors of random facts， those interested in ancient cities unearthed and explored by archaeologists， and those wondering what places on earth are at most threat of disappearing due to various environmental and human factors。 The ARC I received was in grayscale， but it looks like the actual book w A survey of lost cities rediscovered and places in danger of disappearing。 Each is accompanied with a 2-3 page summary of its history， maps， and photos。This was an interesting read perfect for those collectors of random facts， those interested in ancient cities unearthed and explored by archaeologists， and those wondering what places on earth are at most threat of disappearing due to various environmental and human factors。 The ARC I received was in grayscale， but it looks like the actual book was in color which I would really like to see。 It was hard to read some of the maps properly without the different coloration。 It was a great balance of bite-sized text and photos/illustrations。 Notes on content: No language issues。 No sexual content。 The deaths of people due to natural disasters， disease， and wars come up in the histories of various places but no graphic depictions included。I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kathryn
，
First things first， I love the topographical map cover。 This is part of Travis Elboroguh's Atlas of series， and the second one of this series I have read。 This book covers places that are disappearing or have disappeared almost entirely。 It is divided into ancient cities， forgotten lands， shrinking places， and threatened worlds。 Within theses categories are places from around the world。 Each section includes at least one photo and a good description of the location's history。 I was disappointed First things first， I love the topographical map cover。 This is part of Travis Elboroguh's Atlas of series， and the second one of this series I have read。 This book covers places that are disappearing or have disappeared almost entirely。 It is divided into ancient cities， forgotten lands， shrinking places， and threatened worlds。 Within theses categories are places from around the world。 Each section includes at least one photo and a good description of the location's history。 I was disappointed to find that the photos are all in black and white， which gave the book a textbook feel。 The descriptions were easy to read while still providing good information。 I would have been interested in more practical information like if the featured location is open to visitors。 Overall this was an interesting read and I can see it being used as a reference in a geography class。 。。。more
Emily Burch
，
Thank you White Lion Publishing for the ARC。This Atlas is truly a beautiful work。 Packed into bite-size entries comprising four larger sections （Ancient Cities， Forgotten Lands， Shrinking Places， Threatened Worlds）， this book is easy to pick up and put down multiple times without feeling lost。 It's comprised of text， photos， and maps， which all help to drive home the beauty and geography of the "Vanishing Places。"I learned so much throughout this book about cities， rivers， swamps， and entire anc Thank you White Lion Publishing for the ARC。This Atlas is truly a beautiful work。 Packed into bite-size entries comprising four larger sections （Ancient Cities， Forgotten Lands， Shrinking Places， Threatened Worlds）， this book is easy to pick up and put down multiple times without feeling lost。 It's comprised of text， photos， and maps， which all help to drive home the beauty and geography of the "Vanishing Places。"I learned so much throughout this book about cities， rivers， swamps， and entire ancient metropolises。。。 all once lost to time or soon to become so。 As much a love letter to these places， this book also serves as a visceral call to action to protect the vanishing places we have left。In addition to all of the locales I hadn't heard of， it was also jarring to be confronted with the deterioration of many familiar places - the Great Barrier Reef， the Everglades， Glacier National Park， etc。 Seeing the maps superimposed with changes in coastlines over the decades is particularly sobering。Overall， it's a lovely， informative， and important work， as well as an easy and fascinating read。 。。。more
Sierra
，
I did not like this book :（。 I love love loved the concept， but found it super disappointing。 The entries for each place seemed to be the opposite of what interested me， and I knew a lot about most of them。 The cover is super pretty， and some of the places had some interesting facts。 ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。
J Earl
，
Atlas of Vanishing Places by Travis Elborough is an interesting look at some places that are， well， vanishing （as the entities we think of them as）。I think my favorite of his Atlas of。。。 books is Untamed Places， but this is quite good also。 It covers thirty-seven places， each with a brief overview/history as well as a couple of pictures and a map。 This is great for dipping into periodically when the mood takes you or reading straight through。 While it is not a book I would have ever made student Atlas of Vanishing Places by Travis Elborough is an interesting look at some places that are， well， vanishing （as the entities we think of them as）。I think my favorite of his Atlas of。。。 books is Untamed Places， but this is quite good also。 It covers thirty-seven places， each with a brief overview/history as well as a couple of pictures and a map。 This is great for dipping into periodically when the mood takes you or reading straight through。 While it is not a book I would have ever made students buy， unless I planned to teach most of the locations （certainly not for just one unit）， I can imagine I would have either referenced it or included a chapter or two in a course reader。 In any case， I would have had to supplement with other resources。 That said， whether for students or casual readers， this is a great starting point from which to look deeper into any location that appeals to you。I saw that someone believes this isn't a book to buy but to check out。 I think it is suitable for either。 It is nice， even if this is an area you know well， to have overview texts as well as deep dives。 It wouldn't be possible to go too deeply into thirty-seven locations， to complain about that is disingenuous at best。 It is， however， a great book to always have handy for when you remember something about one of these places and want to verify your memory。If you happen to live near or are planning to visit near one of these sites， this will offer some information so you can decide if it is worth the trip。 Or if there is even anything worth making the trip for。 It isn't a travel guide but could certainly help when you're making travel plans。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
（a）lyss（a）
，
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Maybe my expectations for this book were too high， but it wasn't quite what I expected。The book covers colonies or cities around the world that vanished or disappeared。 Some of these stories are backed up with information by scientists or archeologists but a lot of the stories are speculation。 There's not a lot of real pictures or maps and a lot of the drawings are sketches。 It's an interesting book to flip through I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Maybe my expectations for this book were too high， but it wasn't quite what I expected。The book covers colonies or cities around the world that vanished or disappeared。 Some of these stories are backed up with information by scientists or archeologists but a lot of the stories are speculation。 There's not a lot of real pictures or maps and a lot of the drawings are sketches。 It's an interesting book to flip through and look at stories like the Roanoke colony or a city-within-a-city in Algeria， but each story is only a few pages long。Overall not what I expected。 。。。more
Michael Hassel Shearer
，
Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as they were and as they are today by Travis Elborough。 This was a wonderful book to read and more importantly gaze at the detailed maps and incredible black and white photographs。 Credit for the maps goes to Martin Brown。 As the long title details this is a book about place gone， forgotten， shrinking and threatened。 Some of the places I have heard of while many were either not known to meet of forgotten that one day they actually did exist。 I view this Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as they were and as they are today by Travis Elborough。 This was a wonderful book to read and more importantly gaze at the detailed maps and incredible black and white photographs。 Credit for the maps goes to Martin Brown。 As the long title details this is a book about place gone， forgotten， shrinking and threatened。 Some of the places I have heard of while many were either not known to meet of forgotten that one day they actually did exist。 I view this book not as a checklist of places to go but to curl up in a comfy chair and enjoy the photographs that go along with the 180 places described in the book。 If a book with black and white photographs can be a “coffee table” book this is certainly one！ 。。。more
Sierra
，
This was pretty boring。 Nice concept tho。 ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。
JoAnn
，
I reviewed this book with an eye towards its utility in the 1st year undergraduate history classroom。 I teach 1st year and transfer students primarily， a 100-level World History course that has dual aims: first， introducing the basics of historical and empirical research skills （academic literacy， source/data collection， analysis， library use， written communication， among others） and second， emphasizing the connection between the present and the past through showing students the historical origi I reviewed this book with an eye towards its utility in the 1st year undergraduate history classroom。 I teach 1st year and transfer students primarily， a 100-level World History course that has dual aims: first， introducing the basics of historical and empirical research skills （academic literacy， source/data collection， analysis， library use， written communication， among others） and second， emphasizing the connection between the present and the past through showing students the historical origins and contributing factors of some of the worlds environmental， economic， social， and political problems。 We cover the history of racism， gendered disparities， queer histories， war， genocide， etc。 In short， this is a decolonizing curriculum。 As many of my colleagues teaching similar courses can attest， professors in my position have a perennial problem finding suitable materials to use in our courses。 Our materials need to be accessible in terms of language and cost; they need to be a certain length or have a certain depth to them that satisfies the intellectual integrity of the course， but is not overly theoretical or requires a prerequisite store of knowledge。 Our courses have fixed learning outcomes that need to be met。 Our students come from varied academic backgrounds， enter the classroom with varied levels of writing， reading， and analytical skills， which we have to accommodate。 A book like Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as They Were and as They Are Today is a boon。 Here are the reasons why: first， the book is premised on the idea that artifacts as massive as cities and geological features are not eternal， immune to change or -- more significantly -- to human savaging。 Elborough cites the Aral Sea and its incredibly rapid dissolution， within one person's lifetime， from a thriving marine ecology to an arid nothingness， as the inspiration for this collection of places that once thrived as the Aral Sea did and are now as dry and lifeless as it has become。 This book forces the reader to acknowledge the power of time and the inevitability of change。 I can't think of better evidence to emphasize the importance of history。 Second， the book is divided into short， digestible chapters which can be discretely cut out from the book and assigned， according to their fit into the course curriculum。 Each chapter is about four to six pages long。 Third， the places and times explored in this collection cover the breadth and width of the world， every era of human history; it would be easy for an educator to focus in on the geographic region or time period of their choice。 The book covers so much from ancient cities to contemporary and very recognizable landmarks: Timbuktoo to River Fleet in London。 Last， Elborough also provides the reader with sources and a bibliography。 Some sources are better than others， but these are a gift to any student at the entry-point of a research project。 Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as They Were and as They Are Today serves as an excellent tertiary historical source， something to pique students' interests， something to give them a kick start on a research project。 I could easily see the use of this book in survey level archaeology courses， in introductory cultural anthropology course， in ancient or modern world history classes。 In my particular case， it works very well in the Humans and Environment module of my class， where we cover the relationship between human behavior and environmental outcomes。 。。。more
Lily
，
This was a really lovely coffee table book that gives a brief overview of many vanished or vanishing places。 Perfect for curling up with a cup of tea and letting your imagination wander！
Brenda
，
Atlas of Vanishing Places is an enthralling short book comprised of an introduction of what vanishing means and chapters including Ancient Cities， Forgotten Lands， Shrinking Places and Threatened Worlds。 I have often wondered about civilizations and sites which have disappeared we have no idea about。 My region in Europe is riddled with Roman ruins and it is not difficult to imagine what lies beneath， more than we would ever realize。 Caves and underground lakes here are continually being discover Atlas of Vanishing Places is an enthralling short book comprised of an introduction of what vanishing means and chapters including Ancient Cities， Forgotten Lands， Shrinking Places and Threatened Worlds。 I have often wondered about civilizations and sites which have disappeared we have no idea about。 My region in Europe is riddled with Roman ruins and it is not difficult to imagine what lies beneath， more than we would ever realize。 Caves and underground lakes here are continually being discovered by farmers。 Who isn't intrigued by mystery？ The author reminds us that maps can act as remembrances。。。several maps and photographs are included here。 I have visited some places mentioned but had not heard of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro， the latter which was a healthy， wealthy and very advanced civilization which existed about 2，500 BC。 The Kogi people of Colombia are new to me as well the Roman settlement of Timgad in Algeria。 Then there is the mighty Danube which is just a fraction of the size it used to be and the Dead Sea which is receding。 Glaciers are rapidly melting in North America and Venice may disappear in three short decades。 Some places have vanished long ago and protected under water or sand such as ancient Helike。 Others have been overgrown and hidden or are being eroded。 An island in Japan disappeared and went unnoticed until 2018！ Still others were wiped out by marauders， plagues and natural disasters。 All are worth knowing about。 Anyone curious about vanishing places ought to read this overview of known and lesser-known places and peoples who have and are disappearing， some over hundreds of years and others merely a matter of days。 Do not expect an in-depth study but rather a varied compendium which is， I think， the point。 My sincere thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion for the privilege of reading more about vanishing places， a compelling subject。 。。。more
Brenda
，
Atlas of Vanishing Places is an enthralling short book comprised of an introduction of what vanishing means and chapters including Ancient Cities， Forgotten Lands， Shrinking Places and Threatened Worlds。 I have often wondered about civilizations and sites which have disappeared we have no idea about。 My region in Europe is riddled with Roman ruins and it is not difficult to imagine what lies beneath， more than we would ever realize。 Caves and underground lakes here are continually being discover Atlas of Vanishing Places is an enthralling short book comprised of an introduction of what vanishing means and chapters including Ancient Cities， Forgotten Lands， Shrinking Places and Threatened Worlds。 I have often wondered about civilizations and sites which have disappeared we have no idea about。 My region in Europe is riddled with Roman ruins and it is not difficult to imagine what lies beneath， more than we would ever realize。 Caves and underground lakes here are continually being discovered by farmers。 Who isn't intrigued by mystery？ The author reminds us that maps can act as remembrances。。。several maps and photographs are included here。 I have visited some places mentioned but had not heard of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro， the latter which was a healthy， wealthy and very advanced civilization which existed about 2，500 BC。 The Kogi people of Colombia are new to me as well the Roman settlement of Timgad in Algeria。 Then there is the mighty Danube which is just a fraction of the size it used to be and the Dead Sea which is receding。 Glaciers are rapidly melting in North America and Venice may disappear in three short decades。 Some places have vanished long ago and protected under water or sand such as ancient Helike。 Others have been overgrown and hidden or are being eroded。 An island in Japan disappeared and went unnoticed until 2018！ Still others were wiped out by marauders， plagues and natural disasters。 All are worth knowing about。 Anyone curious about vanishing places ought to read this overview of known and lesser-known places and peoples who have and are disappearing， some over hundreds of years and others merely a matter of days。 Do not expect an in-depth study but rather a varied compendium which is， I think， the point。 My sincere thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion for the privilege of reading more about vanishing places， a compelling subject。 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Quarto Publishing Group- White Lion for an advanced copy of this atlas of forgotten and disappearing sites around the world。As we advance into the future so many things around us are disappearing。 Technology goes obsolete and is discarded。 Animals and plants are made extinct。 Our sense of history， morals and shame are eroding away as politics and people go lower and dumber。 Places too disappear， the west is loaded with ghost towns as mining fads came My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Quarto Publishing Group- White Lion for an advanced copy of this atlas of forgotten and disappearing sites around the world。As we advance into the future so many things around us are disappearing。 Technology goes obsolete and is discarded。 Animals and plants are made extinct。 Our sense of history， morals and shame are eroding away as politics and people go lower and dumber。 Places too disappear， the west is loaded with ghost towns as mining fads came and went， or industrial towns that died because their industry was cheaper to make elsewhere。 Travis Elborough in his latest book in the series Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as They Were and as They Are Today， takes readers on a tour of the world where once great cities and locations， written of in song， poem， and heroic ballads， have been lost， forgotten， reclaimed by the earth， or sacrificed for both human expansion and human greed。 The book begins with a brief section on why things vanish， Man-made disasters， nature， war， failing and fallen empires or even just ennui。 The book is broken into sections， Ancient Cities， Forgotten Lands， Shrinking Places and Threatened Worlds。 A timeline in a way of wow things can go from important to dismissed by history。 Places mentioned include Xanadu in Mongolia/ China， Roanoke in North Carolina， The Dead Sea in Jordan and the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia。 All are given brief descriptions， a history， importance， loss， discovery， or why the place is threatened and how its vanishing could be halted， complete with pictures and art。The book is fascinating， as all the books in the series have been。 A guide to places that aren't commonly known， or known from legends or settings in books， or sadly in the modern places， a location that is not given a though about where it might be going to。 The text is short， but informative， giving enough of an overview to give a sense of what happened， with a bibliography listing more books for further investigation。 The writing is a mix of both fact and melancholy， maybe not best read straight through， but to be dipped in for a few cities， as the long tale of history does get kind of familiar。 A travel guide of extinction in a way。A perfect book for history nerds， travellers and fiction writers who want to get an idea of the past and lost cities for their characters to explore。 This is the third in the series， and I have read all of them， enjoying them all in special ways and yet finding myself strangely sad at the end of all of them。 Soon there will be books written about our cities underwater from climate change， or lost in curable pandemics and religious/ political reasons we don't want to see coming。 This book gives a good idea of what our future is going to look like。 。。。more
Bill
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The thing with reading Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as They Were and as They Are Today by Travis Elborough is to go in with managed expectations。 The collection of brief descriptions of places lost or lost then found or about to be lost is best thought of as an introductory sampler rather than a substantive look at each place， something that gives you just the minimum of information for you to decide if you want to do a bit more research。 Read in that vein， it’s a solid collection， The thing with reading Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as They Were and as They Are Today by Travis Elborough is to go in with managed expectations。 The collection of brief descriptions of places lost or lost then found or about to be lost is best thought of as an introductory sampler rather than a substantive look at each place， something that gives you just the minimum of information for you to decide if you want to do a bit more research。 Read in that vein， it’s a solid collection， a bit eclectic/arbitrary in its choices but broad-based。The book is divided into the following several sections （I’ve also given a few representative sites）: •tAncient Cities （Hattusa， Turkey; Xanadu， Mongolia; Ciudad Perdida， Colombia; Petra Jordon）•tForgotten Lands （Chan Chan， Peru; Roanoke， USA; Lion City， China）•tShrinking Places （the Danube， the Dead Sea， the Everglades）•tThreatened Worlds （Timbuktu， Mali; Skara Brae， Orkney; Congo Basin Rainforest）Even from the brief list above you can see the wide range of geography and culture covered in the book one of the plusses。 Each site gets 1-3 pages of text， though that’s a very rough estimate thanks to formatting issues on my Kindle App （sigh）。 As noted and as you can tell from the length， these are very brief， very introductory descriptions that don’t go too in-depth。 They do vary in detail and quality， with some feeling more substantive in terms of history and physical detail and sense of research and others feeling like a snippet from Wikipedia。 Each segment， regardless of its detail， comes with a number of illustrations， mostly photographs of the site， some historical some relatively recent。 The sites themselves as mentioned are eclectic; sadly Elborough could have chosen any of a number of sites for such a book。 But the list is a decent mix of the already-familiar （Petra， Everglades， Roanoke， Danube， Alexandria， Dead Sea， etc。） and the probably far less well known （Mahabalipuram， Skipsea， Esanbehanakitakojima）。From my viewpoint， because of the nature of the book （more a teaser than a full accounting）， I’d call it the perfect library book as opposed to a book for purchase， especially as while there are a number of photographs， they’re not “coffee-table-display-for-guests” quality or size。 A good book therefore to check out， get a sense of what sites you’re more interested in， return to the library， and then do more research。 。。。more
Paul Groos
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An eclectic and incoherent collection of interesting places， put together along the rationale that these places have disappeared， are disappearing， will disappear， would have disappeared or had disappeared but were rediscovered。 Not a very coherent theme for a book。 Even within a chapter the reasons for including a location seem illogical。Nevertheless， the descriptions are well written and as far as I can tell well researched。 The photographs are nice， but nothing special， the maps are very beau An eclectic and incoherent collection of interesting places， put together along the rationale that these places have disappeared， are disappearing， will disappear， would have disappeared or had disappeared but were rediscovered。 Not a very coherent theme for a book。 Even within a chapter the reasons for including a location seem illogical。Nevertheless， the descriptions are well written and as far as I can tell well researched。 The photographs are nice， but nothing special， the maps are very beautiful and interesting， often containing tantalisingly interesting names that the text doesn’t describe。 The production quality of the book is outstanding。 Nice to read the separate descriptions， just ignore the absent， overarching theme of the book。 。。。more
Benjamin K。
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This atlas showcases just under forty places in the world that， while once important or beautiful in their prime， have since fallen on hard times due to the effects of climate change， human incursion or lack thereof， and time。 This includes early civilization population centers like Hattusa， important waterways such as the River Fleet， and spectacular landscapes like Glacier National Park just to name a few。 All entries are accompanied by well-made maps showing both how the areas looked in their This atlas showcases just under forty places in the world that， while once important or beautiful in their prime， have since fallen on hard times due to the effects of climate change， human incursion or lack thereof， and time。 This includes early civilization population centers like Hattusa， important waterways such as the River Fleet， and spectacular landscapes like Glacier National Park just to name a few。 All entries are accompanied by well-made maps showing both how the areas looked in their day compared to their present condition， as well as photographs showing the same。 The writeups for each entry give a short and concise history of the subject's importance， as well as the nature of its decline。 Overall a good book to page through to see and learn about some amazing places that have been （or are being lost） to time。 Especially worth a pickup for lovers of history and cartography。 。。。more
RumBelle
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Fascinating。 That is the best word to describe this book。 It is wide ranging in scope， varied and utterly fascinating。 I love books like this。 Atlas' that talk about lands that no longer existed， or are changing over time， and are now threatened with disappearance。 The book is divided up into three main headings， worlds that are lost， disappearing and vanished。 Each heading has several lands talked about within it。 Each new land shows a map， outlining where it once was in it's heyday， and what， Fascinating。 That is the best word to describe this book。 It is wide ranging in scope， varied and utterly fascinating。 I love books like this。 Atlas' that talk about lands that no longer existed， or are changing over time， and are now threatened with disappearance。 The book is divided up into three main headings， worlds that are lost， disappearing and vanished。 Each heading has several lands talked about within it。 Each new land shows a map， outlining where it once was in it's heyday， and what， if anything， is left of that place now。 The entry also contains several beautiful full color photographs， or artistic renderings。 Some of my favorite places discussed were Petra， Venice， a Japanese islet that completely vanished almost overnight， Alexandria and Hattusa。 Those were just a small sampling， I enjoyed reading every entry in this book， and in many cases， reading about places I did not know had existed。 A wonderfully enjoyable book for anyone who loves archaeology， geography， history or learning about other cultures。 。。。more
Tissie
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AofVP， written by Travis Elborough， is a comprehensive book based on places that have either faded away already or are on the brink of fading。 Divided in four sections （Ancient Cities， Forgotten Lands， Shrinking Places， and Threatened Worlds）， it gives us a broad impression of cities and locations scattered around the world。[Keep reading @ Bookshelves & Teacups] AofVP， written by Travis Elborough， is a comprehensive book based on places that have either faded away already or are on the brink of fading。 Divided in four sections （Ancient Cities， Forgotten Lands， Shrinking Places， and Threatened Worlds）， it gives us a broad impression of cities and locations scattered around the world。[Keep reading @ Bookshelves & Teacups] 。。。more
Alan Fricker
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Somehow less than I was expecting。 At their best a combination of photo， map and story to beguile but a few too many that offer not a lot
Markel
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