The Phantom Atlas: The Greatest Myths, Lies and Blunders on Maps (Historical Map and Mythology Book, Geography Book of Ancient and Antique Maps)

Discover the mysteries within ancient maps - Where exploration and mythology meet This richly illustrated book collects and explores the colorful histories behind a striking range of real antique maps that are all in some way a little too good to be true. Mysteries within ancient maps: The Phantom Atlas is a guide to the world not as it is, but as it was imagined to be. It's a world of ghost islands, invisible mountain ranges, mythical civilizations, ship-wrecking beasts, and other fictitious features introduced on maps and atlases through mistakes, misunderstanding, fantasies, and outright lies. Where exploration and mythology meet: Author Edward Brooke-Hitching is a map collector, author, writer for the popular BBC Television program QI and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He lives in a dusty heap of old maps and books in London investigating the places where exploration and mythology meet. Cartography's greatest phantoms: The Phantom Atlas uses gorgeous atlas images as springboards for tales of deranged buccaneers, seafaring monks, heroes, swindlers, and other amazing stories behind cartography's greatest phantoms. If you are a fan of this popular genre and a reader of books such as Prisoners of Geography, Atlas of Ancient Rome, Atlas Obscura, What If, Book of General Ignorance, or Thing Explainer, your will love The Phantom Atlas The Phantom Atlas Is An Atlas Of The World Not As It Ever Existed, But As It Was Thought To Be. These Marvellous And Mysterious Phantoms, Non-existent Islands, Invented Mountain Ranges, Mythical Civilisations And Other Fictitious Geography - Were All At Various Times Presented As Facts On Maps And Atlases. This Book Is A Collection Of Striking Antique Maps That Display The Most Erroneous Cartography, With Each Illustration Accompanied By The Story Behind It. Exploration, Map-making And Mythology Are All Brought Together To Create A Colourful Tapestry Of Monsters, Heroes And Volcanoes; Swindlers, Mirages And Murderers. Sometimes The Stories Are Almost Impossible To Believe, And Remarkably, Some Of The Errors Were Still On Display In Maps Published In The 21st Century. Throughout Much Of The 19th Century More Than 40 Different Mapmakers Included The Mountains Of Kong, A Huge Range Of Peaks Stretching Across The Entire Continent Of Africa, In Their Maps - But It Was Only In 1889 When Louis Gustave Binger Revealed The Whole Thing To Be A Fake. For Centuries, Explorers Who Headed To Patagonia Returned With Tales Of The Giants They Had Met Who Lived There, Some Nine Feet Tall. Introduction -- Strait Of Anian -- Antillia -- Atlantis -- Aurora Islands -- Australia's Inland Sea -- Bermeja -- Bradley Land -- Buss Island -- City Of The Caesars -- Sea Monsters Of The Carta Marina -- Island Of California -- Cassiterides -- Crocker Land -- Croker's Mountains -- Davis Land -- Isle Of Demons -- Dougherty Island -- Earthly Paradise -- El Dorado -- Flat Earth -- Fonseca -- Formosa (of George Psalmanazar) -- Fusang -- Gamaland And Compagnies Land -- Great Ireland -- Great River Of The West -- Groclant -- Hy Brasil -- Java La Grande -- Juan De Lisboa -- Lost City Of The Kalahari -- Mountains Of Kong -- Korea As An Island -- Lost Continents Of Lemuria And Mu -- Maria Theresa Reef -- Mayda -- Mountains Of The Moon -- Lands Of Benjamin Morrell -- Norumbega -- Creatures Of The Nuremberg Chronicle Map -- Patagonian Giants -- Pepys Island -- Territory Of Poyais -- Kingdom Of Prester John -- Rhipaean Mountains -- Rupes Nigra -- St. Brendan's Island -- Sandy Island, New Caledonia -- Sannikov Land -- Satanazes -- Saxenburgh Island -- Sea Of The West -- Taprobana -- Terra Australis -- Thule -- Sunken City Of Vineta -- Wak-wak -- Phantom Lands Of The Zeno Map. Edward Brooke-hitching. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 246-247) And Index. The Phantom Atlas is an atlas of the world not as it ever existed, but as it was thought to be. These marvellous and mysterious phantoms -- non-existent islands, invented mountain ranges, mythical civilisations and other fictitious geography -- were all at various times presented as facts on maps and atlases. This book is a collection of striking antique maps that display the most erroneous cartography, with each illustration accompanied by the story behind it. Exploration, map-making and mythology are all brought together to create a colourful tapestry of monsters, heroes and volcanoes; swindlers, mirages and murderers. Sometimes the stories are almost impossible to believe, and remarkably, some of the errors were still on display in maps published in the 21st century. Throughout much of the 19th century more than 40 different mapmakers included the Mountains of Kong, a huge range of peaks stretching across the entire continent of Africa, in their maps -- but it was only in 1889 when Louis Gustave Binger revealed the whole thing to be a fake. For centuries, explorers who headed to Patagonia returned with tales of the giants they had met who lived there, some nine feet tall. Then there was Gregor MacGregor, a Scottish explorer who returned to London to sell shares in a land he had discovered in South America. He had been appointed the Cazique of Poyais, and bestowed with many honours by the local king of this unspoiled paradise. Now he was offering others the chance to join him and make their fortune there, too, once they had paid him a bargain fee for their passage. The Phantom Atlas is a beautifully produced volume, packed with stunning maps and drawingsof places and people that never existed. The remarkable stories behind them all are brilliantly told by Edward Brooke-Hitching in a book that will appeal to cartophiles everywhere. - Publisher. Cover 1 Title 5 Dedication 7 Copyright 258 CONTENTS 9 INTRODUCTION 10 STRAIT OF ANIAN 14 ANTILLIA 20 ATLANTIS 26 AURORA ISLANDS 32 AUSTRALIA’S INLAND SEA 36 BERMEJA 40 BRADLEY LAND 44 BUSS ISLAND 48 CITY OF THE CAESARS 52 SEA MONSTERS OF THE CARTA MARINA 56 ISLAND OF CALIFORNIA 66 CASSITERIDES 70 CROCKER LAND 72 CROKER’S MOUNTAINS 78 DAVIS LAND 82 ISLE OF DEMONS 86 DOUGHERTY ISLAND 90 EARTHLY PARADISE 94 EL DORADO 100 FLAT EARTH 104 FONSECA 108 FORMOSA (OF GEORGE PSALMANAZAR) 112 FUSANG 116 GAMALAND AND COMPAGNIES LAND 120 GREAT IRELAND 124 GREAT RIVER OF THE WEST 126 GROCLANT 130 HY BRASIL 132 JAVA LA GRANDE 136 JUAN DE LISBOA 142 LOST CITY OF THE KALAHARI 144 MOUNTAINS OF KONG 148 KOREA AS AN ISLAND 152 LOST CONTINENTS OF LEMURIA AND MU 154 MARIA THERESA REEF 158 MAYDA 160 MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON 164 LANDS OF BENJAMIN MORRELL 168 NEW SOUTH GREENLAND 169 BYERS’S ISLAND 170 MORRELL’S ISLAND 171 NORUMBEGA 172 CREATURES OF THE NUREMBERG CHRONICLE MAP 176 PATAGONIAN GIANTS 184 PEPYS ISLAND 188 TERRITORY OF POYAIS 192 KINGDOM OF PRESTER JOHN 196 RHIPAEAN MOUNTAINS 200 RUPES NIGRA 202 ST BRENDAN’S ISLAND 204 SANDY ISLAND, NEW CALEDONIA 208 SANNIKOV LAND 210 SATANAZES 212 SAXENBURGH ISLAND 214 SEA OF THE WEST 218 TAPROBANA 222 TERRA AUSTRALIS 226 THULE 232 SUNKEN CITY OF VINETA 236 WAK-WAK 240 PHANTOM LANDS OF THE ZENO MAP 242 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 248 INDEX 250 A 250 B 250 C 251 D 251 E 251 F 252 G 252 H 252 I 253 J 253 K 253 L 253 M 253 N 254 O 254 P 254 Q 255 R 255 S 255 T 256 U 256 V 256 W 256 X 256 Y 256 Z 256 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND CREDITS 257 PICTURE AND MAP CREDITS 257 About the Author 259 Chronicle Ebooks 263 Chronicle,Books,LLC "[This book] is a guide to the world not as it is, but as it was imagined to be. It's a world of ghost islands, invisible mountain ranges, mythical civilizations, ship-wrecking beasts, and other fictitious features introduced on maps and atlases through mistakes, misunderstanding, fantasies, and outright lies. This ... book collects and explores the colorful histories behind a striking range of real antique maps that are all in some way a little too good to be true"--Amazon.com. Nine-foot giants were once thought to stalk the Patagonian landscape. The Island of California was known to drift off the coast of North America, The Mountains of Kong were believed to stretch across the continent of Africa. With fascinating stories and beautiful Illustrations, this unique atlas gathers together the wildest misbeliefs ever drawn on maps, revealing the world as it existed purely in the imaginations of our ancestors. Book jacket. A breakout bestseller in the UK, The Phantom Atlas is a beautifully produced volume, packed with maps, illustrations, and stories of places, people, and creatures that never existed - a treat for fans of maps, history, and exploration.