Atlas of the Unexpected
Haphazard discoveries, chance places and unimaginable destinations
Published on 13. September 2018
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-1-78131-716-7 (ISBN)
Description
Atlas of the Unexpected is a journey to far-off lands, obscure discoveries and unimaginable locations, with 45 beautiful, unique maps and evocative photography.
Take an armchair voyage to places both infamous and unknown that have, often by chance or by haphazard means, been destinations of discovery that make up our world today. Learn about the accidental discovery or Vaseline. Set foot on the aptly named Just Enough Room Island. Chart the royal romance that led shipwrecked lovers to discover the purple rock of Madeira. Follow in the footsteps of a stray goat who led its keeper to uncover lost ancient biblical scrolls. These are the world's most wondrous, improbable and - most of all - unexpected of places.
"Travis Elborough writes about a wide range of subjects with originality, learning and charm. Atlas of the Unexpected...is seductively beautiful: an inspiring, dream-inducing guide to almost four dozen "haphazard discoveries, chance places and unimaginable destinations"..." David Kynaston, New Statesman - 'best books of 2018'
Also in the Unexpected Atlas series: Atlas of Untamed Places, Atlas of Improbable Places, Atlas of Vanishing Places.
Take an armchair voyage to places both infamous and unknown that have, often by chance or by haphazard means, been destinations of discovery that make up our world today. Learn about the accidental discovery or Vaseline. Set foot on the aptly named Just Enough Room Island. Chart the royal romance that led shipwrecked lovers to discover the purple rock of Madeira. Follow in the footsteps of a stray goat who led its keeper to uncover lost ancient biblical scrolls. These are the world's most wondrous, improbable and - most of all - unexpected of places.
"Travis Elborough writes about a wide range of subjects with originality, learning and charm. Atlas of the Unexpected...is seductively beautiful: an inspiring, dream-inducing guide to almost four dozen "haphazard discoveries, chance places and unimaginable destinations"..." David Kynaston, New Statesman - 'best books of 2018'
Also in the Unexpected Atlas series: Atlas of Untamed Places, Atlas of Improbable Places, Atlas of Vanishing Places.
Reviews / Votes
"Travis Elborough writes about a wide range of subjects with originality, learning and charm. Atlas of the Unexpected...is seductively beautiful: an inspiring, dream-inducing guide to almost four dozen "haphazard discoveries, chance places and unimaginable destinations"..." David Kynaston, New Statesman best books of 2018 -- David Kynaston * New Statesman * "British author Travis Elborough's new Atlas of the Unexpected: Haphazard Discoveries, Chance Places and Unimaginable Destinations features dozens of locations with potential to excite the interest of even the most jaded traveller....the writer's nose for detail and knack for storytelling make for first-class armchair travel." * South China Morning Post *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Quarto Publishing PLC
Illustrations
45 commissioned maps & 45 photographs
Dimensions
Height: 259 mm
Width: 185 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78131-716-7 (9781781317167)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Travis Elborough
Atlas of the Unexpected
Haphazard discoveries, chance places and unimaginable destinations
E-Book
09/2018
1st Edition
White Lion Publishing
from
€44.99
Available for download
Person
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.
Content
Accidental Discoveries
Madeira Archipelago, Atlantic Ocean
Derinkuyu Underground City, Cappadocia, Turkey
Vaseline,Titusville, Pennsylvania, USA
The Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran, Israel
Cahokia Mounds, Illinois, USA
Pompeii, Naples, Italy
Fly Geyser, Nevada, USA
Galapagos Island, Pacific Ocean
Strange Roots
Georgia Colony, Savannah, Georgia, USA
Chemainus, Vancouver Island, Canada
Buzludzha Monument, Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria
Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa
Freshkills Park, New York City, USA
Fort House, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland
Chess City, Elista, Kalmykia, Russia
Fordlandia, Para, Brazil
Gibsonton, Florida, USA
Nowa Huta, Krakow, Poland
Haphazard Destinations
Neft Daslari, Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan
Manshiyat Naser, Cairo, Egypt
Caleta Tortel, Capitan Prat Province, Chile
Jaisalmer Fort, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
Just Room Enough Island, St Lawrence River, New York, USA
Spiegelhalter Jewellers, London, UK
Monemvasia, Laconia, Greece
Uros Floating Islands, Lake Titicaca, Puno, Peru
Cliff of Bandiagara, Mopti, Mali
Korowai Tree Houses, Kia, Indonesia
Cavernous Locations
Lascaux Caves, Montignac, France
Xuankong Si, Shanxi Province, China
Matmata Village, Matmata, Tunisia
Shell Grotto, Margate, Kent, England
Coober Pedy, South Australia
Movile Cave, Constan?a County, Romania
The Petrifying Well, Knareborough, Yorkshire, UK
Aogashima, Philippine Sea, Japan
Serendipitous Spaces
Zhangye Danxia Landform, Gansu, China
Slope Point, South Island, New Zealand
Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California, USA
Lake Hillier, Western Australia
Gruener See, Styria, Austria
Cat Island, Tashirojima, Japan
Grand Tsingy, Melaky, Madagascar
Hitachi Seaside Park, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan
Canfranc Station, Canfranc, Spain
Madeira Archipelago, Atlantic Ocean
Derinkuyu Underground City, Cappadocia, Turkey
Vaseline,Titusville, Pennsylvania, USA
The Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran, Israel
Cahokia Mounds, Illinois, USA
Pompeii, Naples, Italy
Fly Geyser, Nevada, USA
Galapagos Island, Pacific Ocean
Strange Roots
Georgia Colony, Savannah, Georgia, USA
Chemainus, Vancouver Island, Canada
Buzludzha Monument, Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria
Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa
Freshkills Park, New York City, USA
Fort House, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland
Chess City, Elista, Kalmykia, Russia
Fordlandia, Para, Brazil
Gibsonton, Florida, USA
Nowa Huta, Krakow, Poland
Haphazard Destinations
Neft Daslari, Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan
Manshiyat Naser, Cairo, Egypt
Caleta Tortel, Capitan Prat Province, Chile
Jaisalmer Fort, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
Just Room Enough Island, St Lawrence River, New York, USA
Spiegelhalter Jewellers, London, UK
Monemvasia, Laconia, Greece
Uros Floating Islands, Lake Titicaca, Puno, Peru
Cliff of Bandiagara, Mopti, Mali
Korowai Tree Houses, Kia, Indonesia
Cavernous Locations
Lascaux Caves, Montignac, France
Xuankong Si, Shanxi Province, China
Matmata Village, Matmata, Tunisia
Shell Grotto, Margate, Kent, England
Coober Pedy, South Australia
Movile Cave, Constan?a County, Romania
The Petrifying Well, Knareborough, Yorkshire, UK
Aogashima, Philippine Sea, Japan
Serendipitous Spaces
Zhangye Danxia Landform, Gansu, China
Slope Point, South Island, New Zealand
Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California, USA
Lake Hillier, Western Australia
Gruener See, Styria, Austria
Cat Island, Tashirojima, Japan
Grand Tsingy, Melaky, Madagascar
Hitachi Seaside Park, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan
Canfranc Station, Canfranc, Spain