Citadels of Mystery

by L. Sprague de Camp, Catherine C. de Camp

Citadels of Mystery is also known as Ancient Ruins and Archaeology. The past yields its secrets reluctantly; blues to the ways ancient knowledge are found in the ruins of twelve civilizations, including an exploration of theories of space invaders, created earth or man, and Atlantis.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of non-fiction, including biographies of other fantasy authors. He was a major figure in science fiction in the 1930s and 1940s.

Reviews

[Ronald Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I had first read this book soon after buying it in 1973, but now I’m not so sure. This reading was so informative and actually exciting at times. Perhaps the earlier reading proved tedious because I didn’t then have Wikimapia by which to travel virtually to the sites described, or Wikipedia by which to calibrate the authors’ claims to the current status in solving each of these mysteries.

The big surprise, however, was in discovering that this book reeked with scientific and historical integrity. I expected confirmation of a youthful naiveté that originally drew me to this book – that it would contain story after story of the fantastically unexplainable, narrated to my mind’s ear by that voice I’ve learned to cringe at on those innumerable “science” and “history” shows on certain cable television networks. To the contrary, Sprague & Catherine de Camp used this book to demonstrate how adventurers and charlatans mix well by their historical summaries of discovery and sensation, before taking care of the main business of presenting clearly and discussing the known facts and the problems with each hypothesis.

[Holger Haase · Rating 4 out of 5]

L. Sprague de Camp was a fascinating - and at times controversial - character, having helped to popularise REH's Conan stories while at the same time also being accused of diluting Howard's original vision. De Camp was also a notable fantasy writer of his own accord and regularly infused doses of humour into his novels, sometimes successfully, other times not so much.

And even though he is mainly associated with the fantasy genre, his own worldview was very much realistic and he seemed to have enjoyed debunking popular pseudo-scientific ideas in real life.

What's fascinating about this book is that it is not really just an archaeological overview over some of the world's most fascinating relics by an amateur historian, it also and even more entertainingly traces back the influence of those monuments to more modern day myth makers (like Madame Blavatsky) as well as how these legends were often incorporated into pulp fiction, making this a highly enjoyable read. True, the book is a few decades old so from a purely historical point of view no longer all that au courant but these detours ensure that this is still of value to modern readers.... even if the book itself now appears to be out of print.

[B.W. Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtitle on the cover of the book refers to "Unsolved puzzles of archaeology", which to a degree I find misleading, as archaeology plays a minor role in the various chapters.
In fact the book is more of an introduction to the long running arguments and controversies which surround the various legends addressed.
Bearing mind that there are chapters on "King Solomon's Mines" and "Tintagel and the Round Table" the whole work needs to be seen as entertainment for those who enjoy a bit of fantasy, and not for serious students of the past.
And yet, it was an enjoyable read for all that.

[T.A. Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

A set of **dated** but fun, compelling nonfiction stories about ancient monuments like the pyramids, Stone Henge, and Machu Picchu. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Atlantis.

Obligatory note (I am a historian, after all): this is NOT a textbook or a reference, though it is relatively well-researched; it's more like a primer for people interested in armchair archaeology.

[Jill Rebryna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Damn, this book was written in the 60's...

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Get the list of places then read about from different sources. I found this book sadly very biased and racist.