Synopses & Reviews
From Atlantis to Tolkien's Middle-Earth, this Baedeker of the imagination takes readers on a tour of more than 1,200 realms invented by storytellers from Homer's day to our own. And now, brought up to date with dozens of invaluable new entries and illustrations, such as Umberto Eco's Island of the Day Before, Salman Rushdie's Sea of Stories, and Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, this volume is even more authoritative and comprehensive. Profiled within are lands drawn from Lewis Carroll, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, L. Frank Baum, C. S. Lewis, Jorge Luis Borges, and more. Written with the wit and insight that has made Alberto Manguel a bestselling authority on literature, the book is also a visual treat: more than 200 original illustrations and maps reveal the lay of the land in Oz, Lilliputia, Narnia, and elsewhere. Here are worlds enough and more for every reader, fantasy fan, and passionate browser.
Review
“A book no self-respecting dreamer should be without."—The Economist
“Presented with mock solemnity and written with grace and wit; a pleasure to read."—Newsweek
“A very satisfying work . . . witty and stylish."—The New York Times
Synopsis
From Atlantis to Tolkien's Middle-Earth, this Baedeker of the imagination takes readers on a tour of more than 1,200 realms invented by storytellers. 220 line illustrations.
Synopsis
From Atlantis to Xanadu and beyond, this Baedeker of make-believe takes readers on a tour of more than 1,200 realms invented by storytellers from Homer's day to our own. Here you will find Shangri-La and El Dorado; Utopia and Middle Earth; Wonderland and Freedonia. Here too are Jurassic Park, Salman Rushdie's Sea of Stories, and the fabulous world of Harry Potter. The history and behavior of the inhabitants of these lands are described in loving detail, and are supplemented by more than 200 maps and illustrations that depict the lay of the land in a host of elsewheres. A must-have for the library of every dedicated reader, fantasy fan, or passionate browser, Dictionary is a witty and acute guide for any armchair traveler's journey into the landscape of the imagination.
Description
Includes bibliographical references and index.