Atlantis

The Lost Worlds and Mysterious Civilizations series could easily have played for the drama or the mystery. Instead, it delivers solid overviews about some of the most speculated-upon places in history. Atlantis explains the origins of the missing continent's mythos and then debunks many of the elements believers find so appealing. In fact, Abrams rather grumpily objects to people continuing to believe despite geographical impossibilities and a lack of evidence. The series as a whole neatly links its topics with modern culture and explains why these places still grab the imagination. Historical engravings, paintings, and photos make up the illustrations, while the back matter is ample.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist

Gr 7-10-These titles ask teens to use their critical-thinking skills as they read about legendary civilizations. A strong emphasis is placed on differentiating pseudoscience from empirical data as histories are traced from their first written appearance, through the spreading of the stories, to modern-day archaeological discoveries. What could be fascinating volumes are often bogged down by clunky in-text citations, poor editing (there are numerous spelling errors), and dry storytelling. The most readable of the three is Troy, but it is comprised essentially of summaries of the Iliad and Odyssey. Unfortunately, this volume is also the most affected by the serious dearth of maps-to be effective, a series about geography and history requires that readers have more than a mental diagram of the relevant areas. However, there is some fodder for reports in these well-researched books.-Rebecca Dash Donsky, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

First described by the Greek philosopher Plato in the year 360 bce, Atlantis was a naval power located at the Pillars of Hercules (today's Strait of Gibraltar) that had successfully conquered large swaths of Western Europe. After its defeat, Atlantis then sunk into the sea, never to be seen or heard from again. For centuries, this tale of Atlantis was largely forgotten until the 1882 publication of Atlantis: The Antediluvian World by American writer Ignatius L. Donnelly. In it, Donnelly made the claim that all ancient civilizations were descended from Atlantis, which was, in his eyes, a technologically advanced culture whose impact was felt throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America. Since the publication of Donnelly's book, speculation and theorizing about Atlantis has been continuous, with writers making claims for Atlantis being located everywhere from Mexico to Nigeria to Indonesia to Antarctica--even Wisconsin. Atlantis separates the myths from the facts, investigates the historical idea of Atlantis, and looks at the latest archaeological findings that seem to indicate a reality behind Plato's original story. Excerpted from Atlantis by William W. Lace, Dennis Abrams All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.