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The Atlas of Legendary Places
Where physical beauty combines with legend, myth and history it creates an atmosphere that defies rational explanation or strict analysis. Such enchanted places have long been the inspiration for poets and painters, pilgrims and scholars. They have provided the natural backdrop for architects through the ages, and have an inherent magnetism that continues to draw travellers from far and wide.
The Atlas of Legendary Places is a celebration of this earthly heritage, and charts a worldwide journey through rich and varied territory, beginning where legend, myth and reality meet. These are the eternal realms, such as the Garden of Eden, Camelot and Avalon, which cannot now be seen, but which have for centuries motivated explorers, writers and artists.
The natural beauty of settings as varied as those of Hawaii's Haleakala Crater, Japan's Mount Fuji and India's River Ganges are commemorated here as timeless landscapes, places where gods n such environs human endeavour has created sacred wonders - the tomb of Tutankhamun cut from the Valley of the Kings, the Maya city of Tikal in the heart of the Guatemalan jungle and Ohio's Serpent Mound created by ancestors of the North American Indians.
Man-made beauty and monuments are the stuff of legend also, from the Taj Mahal, mausoleum of a beloved wife, to the Forbidden City, a palatial complex constructed according to mystic principles, and Elsinore, the castle of Hamlet. And legendary places can embody the triumph of human courage over adversity, as witnessed in the rebuilding of Coventry's blitzed cathedral, a symbol of forgiveness over hatred and revenge.
Magnificent illustrations, photographs, paintings and engravings, plus evocative descriptions, traveller's tales and artists' views make this a book to treasure.
The Atlas of Legendary Places is a celebration of this earthly heritage, and charts a worldwide journey through rich and varied territory, beginning where legend, myth and reality meet. These are the eternal realms, such as the Garden of Eden, Camelot and Avalon, which cannot now be seen, but which have for centuries motivated explorers, writers and artists.
The natural beauty of settings as varied as those of Hawaii's Haleakala Crater, Japan's Mount Fuji and India's River Ganges are commemorated here as timeless landscapes, places where gods n such environs human endeavour has created sacred wonders - the tomb of Tutankhamun cut from the Valley of the Kings, the Maya city of Tikal in the heart of the Guatemalan jungle and Ohio's Serpent Mound created by ancestors of the North American Indians.
Man-made beauty and monuments are the stuff of legend also, from the Taj Mahal, mausoleum of a beloved wife, to the Forbidden City, a palatial complex constructed according to mystic principles, and Elsinore, the castle of Hamlet. And legendary places can embody the triumph of human courage over adversity, as witnessed in the rebuilding of Coventry's blitzed cathedral, a symbol of forgiveness over hatred and revenge.
Magnificent illustrations, photographs, paintings and engravings, plus evocative descriptions, traveller's tales and artists' views make this a book to treasure.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 5, 2022
My wife’s mom was kind enough to borrow me this book which I quite enjoyed. It is divided up into places imaginary, such as Camelot and real, think Taj Mahal and the Alhambra, but they are all the stuff of legend, and are all places I would love to visit.
The descriptions of the few I have visited, read the forbidden city in Beijing and the Haifa Sophia in Istanbul are accurate from my memory in both description and relevance to the concept. The book was worth my time and I think would be worth yours.
The descriptions of the few I have visited, read the forbidden city in Beijing and the Haifa Sophia in Istanbul are accurate from my memory in both description and relevance to the concept. The book was worth my time and I think would be worth yours.
June 18, 2018
Great glossy full page detailed pictured. Loved the colors, wish all the photos were color. The text and background isn't that full and if you want to know more about a certain place, a second book is needed. Great introductory book and beautiful coffee table book.
June 15, 2018
3 3/4 stars
February 25, 2018
The idea of legendary places appeals to me, but not quite sure what the authors' criteria was for chosing mythological places, Shakespeare writings, Biblical stories, scenic places, sacred/religious places, creative vision places, and also places that show triumph of the spirit. While reading the book, the color photos are quite nice, but there are plenty of black and white ones as well as blurry ones. After reading, my immediate thoughts are what about: the Acropolis in Greece, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Nazca lines in Peru, Delos Greece, Hopi Villages in the United States, Pantheon in Rome, Vatican City, ancient ruins in Malta, Ephesus in Turkey, Knossos in Crete, Sedona in Arizona, Khajuraho in India, the Great Wall of China, the Terra Cotta warriers, plus many others that are legendary and possibly fit their definition of spiritual in the Judeo/Christian sense? Parts of the book were very interesting, but the mythological and religious portions were not "legendary" in my opinion. A few of the sites are physical creations of the earth and others are manmade if that is their definition of Legendary. Some also showed the triumph of individual human spirit, but not sure if that is what the authors' were going for?
May 4, 2016
This was cool, even if it didn't go in-depth into anything. The pictures were nice. They used my favorite picture of the Hagia Sophia too. :)
October 16, 2021
Awesome.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews