Lost Histories: Exploring the World's Most Famous Mysteries

by Joel Levy

In this cross-continental, time-traveling romp through history and mythology, readers can join the hunt for missing cities, treasures, people, and wrecks, all of which have vanished leaving only the faintest traces to show that they ever existed. Proving that real mysteries can be found outside of movies and best-seller lists, the quests in this book are among the most famous: the sunken Atlantis, the never-found Amelia Earhart, the lost treasure of Captain Kidd, and that holy grail of all treasure hunters, the Holy Grail. The author sets out to bust the myths and debunk crazy theories as he tells the stories of the tomb raiders, quacks, and glory seekers of the past and presents the most up-to-date thoughts surrounding each of the mysteries investigated.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Joel Levy is a writer and journalist specializing in science and history. He is the author of over a dozen books, including The Little Book of Conspiracies and Scientific Feuds: From Galileo to the Human Genome Project. Phobiapedia is his first book for children.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but he cites Wikipedia as a source....

[Tessa]

I don't know how Levy managed to suck all of the interesting details out of this book. It's drier than powdered milk. Each page reads like an encyclopedia entry. I'm giving up after the first chapter.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give Levy a lot of credit for his selection here. The historical mysteries presented in Lost Histories are actually mysterious, and probably mostly unsolveable, making a pleasant change from other books in this genre (that is, the weird-stuff-that-really-happened genre) that often include mysteries that have either long since been solved or were never mysterious to begin with. I also liked that there were quite a few things in here that I haven't read a million times. Maybe a British audience would be more familiar with, for example, the 12th century wreck of the White Ship, but I'd never heard of it before. And I do so enjoy reading weird stuff books that are more skeptical than not. But the coverage is quite brief, and not terribly satisfying. Peter James's Ancient Mysteries covers much of the same ground, and then some, with far more depth.

[Nino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autor nudi realna objašnjenja popularnih mitova (Atlantida, Sveti Gral, kralj Arthur i dr.). Knjiga se vrlo lako čita, zabavno i poučno štivo.

[Theodoros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ένα βιβλίο που πραγματεύεται με λογικό, ιστορικό και εν τέλει επιστημονικό τρόπο δύσκολα θέματα υποθέσεων-θρύλων, αποφεύγοντας την εύκολη-συνωμοσιολογική προσέγγιση που έχουν επιλέξει συγγραφείς παρόμοιων βιβλίων. Ο συγγραφέας, δεν έχει σκοπό να εξιτάρει τον αναγνώστη, να του εξάψει τη φαντασία, αλλά να τον πληροφορήσει και να του παράσχει γνώσεις με ορθολογικό τρόπο, αναφορικά με περισσότερο και λιγότερο γνωστούς παγκόσμιους θρύλους. Το κείμενό του ευκολοδιάβαστο, κατανοητό, μεταφρασμένο σε άψογα ελληνικά, το ίδιο το βιβλίο καλαίσθητο, σκληρόδετο, με ωραίο χαρτί εκτύπωσης και πολύ καλή τιμή.

[Pinko Palest · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprisingly good; tackles some well-known mysteries fairly and robustly. Is particularly good in setting each mystery in its historical setting and how it came about to be a mystery. In explaining the mystery he can becoe a bit technical at times, but basically gives you all you need to know. We could say he wades into the shite so that his readers won't have to

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gakk! Patooie.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting overview of some of the historical mysteries. I liked that the author tried to keep an open mind.

[Tiffanie Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I only have it a four star because a few of the stories didn’t hold my personal interest but much of the others did. A different kind of history read for sure!

[Hilde Helseth · Rating 4 out of 5]

At least one mystery have been solved since this book was published. In Lost Wrecks - The Franklin expedition, Erebus was found in 2014 and Terror in 2016. I read about it in articles in a Scandinavian History magazine.

[Parker LeBaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who love to have their minds wonder about the dark parts of world history where little is known, this is a very entertaining book to read. Learn about all of the lost parts of history and discover the possibilities that could explain our favorite unsolved mysteries.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice round-up of all sorts of mysterious and intriguing historical people, places, and objects. Each topic gets a few pages briefly outlining the history, the legends, the theories, and the most likely truth surrounding it. Some of them are celebrated -- Atlantis, the Ark of the Covenant, Amelia Earhart -- and others I'd never heard of -- the Oak Island Money Pit!? but in all cases they're pretty fascinating and informative.

If you're looking for the most romantic and exciting interpretations, this is not your book -- in most cases, Levy's explanations are prosaic and not encouraging to would-be treasure seekers. There is little support for conspiracy theorists or Dan Brown fans (I was happy to see that he's witheringly harsh on The Da Vinci Code). But I found the history fascinating and learned a lot about topics I was only sketchily familiar with. Levy's not a fabulously exciting writer, but he is a clear and convincing one.

This would be a five-star book if it only included maps and pictures. It is damnably hard to picture the detailed layout of something like Jerusalem's Temple Mount from a verbal description alone so the chapters that reference it were hard for me to follow. And it would add a lot to the reading experience to able to see the mysterious Copper Scroll, a drawing of a Phoenician Trireme, the castles suggested as candidates for Camelot, etc.

[Joy Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book four stars because it accomplished it goals nicely. It is written to give an overview of each of the mysteries regarding, people, places, and things as well as give a summary of what is true and what is pure speculation or even sheer fantasy. If you take it on that level it is a very satisfying read although you probably won't want to read it cover to cover. I've you expect great revelations or deep solutions, you will most likely be disappointed. The author has done a fair job of presenting what is known about each mystery in a concise way, 6-11, pages per story, and he has done some research. There were some stories that I was not familiar with and thus was enlightened in those areas, but it is in some ways amazing how long and how crusted with folklore some of these stories have become. If you want a jumping off point into your own research this is a good little book from which to start.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting little book which combines both truth and legend to explain tantilizing mysteries such as the lost continent of Atlantis and the fabled City of Gold.

However, after reading this book I feel disappointed. There are no mysteries unveiled, no incredible discoveries reported, no previously lost histories found. The book is filled with information on many intersting historical legends, myths, and stories, but it only contains the information we already know. The author appears to confront each story with extreme skepticism, and his writing is dull rather than exciting. I had a difficult time finishing the book, because there was nothing to look forward to; nothing propelling me forward, making me interested to see what was next.

If you choose to read this book, do not expect to much. It reads a lot like a textbook, just not as lengthy.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good selection of historical mysteries and curiosities, approached by reporting the legend(s), followed by a discussion of what is historically known or provable. These are divided into categories such as lost places, lost people, lost treasures, etc. The text is concise and readable, making this ideal to dip into. I gave it only three stars because in some cases the discussion seemed somewhat superficial, and because the last couple of subjects covered struck me as the least interesting. I suspect that rearranging a few of the chapters might have made for a better flow. Nevertheless, this has enough interesting tidbits to warrant a look.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

While some of the authors sources may be questionable (Wikipedia is not always reliable), he gathers all the information about each lost item into one concise chapter. The information is heavy and very detailed. Mr. Levy takes the time to put mutliples theories/ideas in about what could have happened, not just the popular theories. It was easy reading for me because I could read a chapter, put the book down and come back to it several days later without trying to remember where I was. My 10 year old daughter has found several of the sections interesting also.

[Köksal KÖK · Rating 5 out of 5]

aslında eskiçağ gizemleri hakkında, spritualizmin-mistisizmin bize öğrettiği çok şey var. ama yazar bunları göz ardı etmiş. ruhbilimin önümüze serdiği açıklamalar dikkate değer. kayı-gizem-bilinemeyenler hakkında doyurucu bilgi var burada. tabii dediğim gibi, yazar bunları ciddiye almayarak ifade etmekten kaçınmış.

kitabın son iki bölümü, 3. ve 4. bölümler kronolojik olarak, daha bi günümüze yakın olduğundan, gizemlerinin aydınlatılması-bulunması olası. zaten yazar da, kanıt göstererek kayıpların izini sürüyor, son görüldüğü yerleri, hakkındaki son söylentiyi takip ederek yol-yön gösteriyor.

[RumBelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a multi-faceted read. It detailed various aspects, people, places and things that have been lost to history, and theories surrounding where they could be. It was very objective, looked at all available evidence and offered a concise opinion. Some topics covered were Amelia Earhart, The Holy Grail, The Temple of Solomon, Atlantis, Captain Kidd's Treasure, The White Ship, Boudica's Grave and many more. I knew about a lot of these legends, but there were some I had never heard of and that made the book all the more enjoyable.

[Music Lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

the premise and subject matter of this book is very interesting and the author does give some thorough details but something was missing here. i can't put my finger on it but this wasn't a real page-turner depsite the historical and folklore mysteries. best i can say is good not great.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

In writing this book, Joel Levy presents the most popular myths and legends concerning each of the topics. With a logical approach to the current theories, Levy gives evidence for and against the plausibility of each legend.

[Kimbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am reading this on the side right now. Because of my interest in world history, I find it very readable and interesting.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book. I would recommend it to anybody.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nifty little book about legendary lost cities, vanished expeditions and colonies, and other mysterious disappearances and losses in history. Fun!

[Andreea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accurate, interesting, concise

[Liz Mangum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much of a history book for my liking. To be fair, it never claimed to be more, I had simply hoped for more.