Lost...and Never Found

by Anita Larsen

Here are ten stories about people from all over America who have one thing in common. They all disappeared, and were never seen again. Their cases have frustrated hundreds of detectives, reporters, and families - because these are stories without definite answers. Theories have cropped up over the years, but no one can explain how a thirteen year-old newspaper carrier, or a wealthy young woman, or a farmer in the middle of his field, can disappear. But we wonder. And in ten unbelievable tales, we can find out who these people were, before they vanished - without a trace.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, History

137 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[MV · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 1985 YA Scholastic book covers mysterious cases of missing Americans from the mid-1800s through the early 1980s. Some of these cases are very well-known in the U.S., but most of the cases covered were not super well-known to me. As of this review, sadly, all of these cases remain officially unsolved. I appreciated that the book didn't talk down too much to its YA audience; e.g., a woman's rumored abortion was discussed in general terms (and actually used the word "abortion", although the next paragraph referred to her rumored pregnancy as "her condition"). I would've liked to see a list of sources the author used.

Cases covered include:

1) Orion Williamson - 1854 (vanished in front of witnesses while walking across a field; Ambrose Bierce went to investigate and wrote a fictional version of the reported occurrence later on)
2) Ambrose Bierce - 1914
3) Dorothy Arnold - 1910
4) Amelia Earhart - 1937 - this is probably the most famous one in the book.
5) Thomas Riha - 1969
6) Alice Van Alstine - 1976
7) Michael Rockefeller - 1961
8) Dr. Charles Brancati - 1928
9) Judge Crater -1930
10) Johnny Gosch - 1982 - one of the first missing children to be featured on a milk carton.

[Cherie Waggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many stories exist of people vanishing without a trace throughout the centuries. In the 1800s that wasn't so uncommon. Communication was rare and there was no way to track someone who seemed to walk into the mist and vanish for all time. Most of the time those were people on the move or trying to make a new life. The past two centuries disappearing has become harder to do without some trace being found somewhere, good or bad. I would like to know if any of these stories have updates. It would be nice to know if these people were ever found and their families given peace. In some cases we'll never know, but someone does.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so apparently I was reading True Crime even as a kid. I couldn't remember the name of this book, but it stuck in my mind long enough that I went looking for it while cleaning out old boxes at my parents house. Also, apparently my mother keeps everything.

It features details on Orion Williamson, Ambrose Bierce, Dorothy Arnold, Amelia Earhart, Thomas Riha, Alice Van Alstine, Michael Rockefeller, Charles Brancati, Judge Crater, and Johnny Gosch.

Along with Incredible Captures by Bill Morgan, it was the first True Crime book I ever read.

[Marie Carmean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting older book about ten famous missing person's cases, dating back to the late 19th century and spanning the late 20th. Each chapter takes the basic details of each disappearance, and included Amelia Earhart and Michael Rockefeller as well as eight others. Not a long book, it piques the reader's interest in the cases and was interesting reading.

[SBC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book as a birthday present from a friend when I was a child and found it quite interesting at the time. I think it was the first time I ever learned about the Bermuda Triangle, and I remember another part about what happens to all the people who are reported 'missing' which was intriguing.

[Jacob Pham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it lol 😂 thanks so very much for making this book so amazing.

[Autumn Burroughs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love true crime

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of ten true crime stories about people from all over the United States of America who all have one thing in common. Each person disappeared without a trace, and was never seen again. The cases range from 1854 to 1982 and involve every kind of disappearance: from a farmer out working in his fields to a wealthy young socialite walking down the street.

These cases have stymied and frustrated hundreds of detectives, reporters and families - because these are stories without definite answers. A plethora of theories have cropped up over the years, but still no one can offer satisfactory explanations as to how a thirteen-year-old newspaper carrier, or an eccentric historian, or a highly-respected judge can just disappear and never be seen again. But we can, and perhaps always will wonder. And in ten unbelievable tales, we can find out who these people were, before they vanished - without a trace.

I must say that I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a relatively quick read for me and the cases included in the book were unusual enough to hold my attention completely. Most of the stories were totally new to me, although I think two or three of them are considered famous for remaining unsolved mysteries for as long as they have. I've always had a fascination with the unexpected and unexplained and this book is no exception. I give it an A+! and will certainly keep my eyes open for more from this author to read in the future.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've loved stories of mysterious disappearances since I was a kid. This book delivers with ten stories of people who disappeared and were never found. The whole disappearing and never being found situation is really spooky to me, and I got a little bit freaked out reading this book, even though it's meant for kids and isn't super scary.

The people included in this book are Orion Williamson, Ambrose Bierce, Dorothy Arnold, Amelia Earhart, Thomas Riha, Alice Van Alstine, Michael Rockefeller, Dr. Charles Brancati, Judge Crater, and Johnny Gosch. Each person gets a chapter which explains a bit about his or her life before s/he vanished, then tells any known facts about the disappearance.

To me, the freakiest situation was that surrounding the disappearance of Orion Williamson. He vanished while people watched him walk across a field. One moment he was there, and literally the next moment, he was gone. Shiver!

[Selkie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only two of the ten cases were actually interesting, with an additional case somewhat so because it was related to one of those two cases. If the first chapter is to be believed it is quite extraordinary. The last chapter was the most sad, it being a parent's worst nightmare: a missing child case. It was the case of Johnny Gosch (one of the first missing children to be pictured on a milk carton) of which a documentary was recently made.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book must have come from a children's book sale because it was written in a "reading by a campfire" style. It gave the feeling that the stories were made up and made me question what the author's sources were. The writing style was also sort of jumpy but not too off putting.

[Emmalynn Herbstritt · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is a great book. it gets really frustrating because I don't know what happened to them. I get annoyed with books and stories like that which really sucks for my part since I love books like that

[Ashleigh Cutler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a good short book with interesting historical stories in it. My copy is torn to shreds so I can't say too much more. Enjoyable short read though.

[Alysha · Rating 2 out of 5]

You won't find any new information in these pages, but the book is a good source of concise information for a quick read.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book a lot .It makes you think . One of my favorite stories in this book is about Amelia Earhart.