Atlas of Unexpected Places: Haphazard Discoveries, Chance Places and Unimaginable Destinations

Unexpected Atlases

by Travis Elborough

Traverse the globe and explore the extraordinary. This is a unique, enigmatic collection of 45 meticulously crafted maps for wandering off the beaten track.

Embark on an armchair expedition across nations and marvel at astounding spots only ever stumbled upon by chance. The profound histories and distinctive quirks of these happenstances are described in detail alongside evocative black and white photographs.

The unexpected places
 

Just Enough Room Island, an aptly named islet that defies spatial conventions The Purple Rock of Madeira, where shipwrecked lovers etched their love story into the annals of history The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered one day by a wayward goat on a meandering path, guiding its keeper to unravel the mysteries of the past Vaseline, where the product that has become a household staple was accidentally discovered

Discover destinations both infamous and unknown, where haphazard means have conspired to shape our world's history. This is a tour through the quirks of fate and the marvels of chance.

In every tale and map, the world's most astounding, improbable, and, above all, unexpected locations, providing a captivating glimpse into the tapestry of human history and the unpredictability of our planet's hidden wonders. This literary voyage is an ode to the curious and the adventurous, celebrating the unexpected marvels that define our world. This is a literary and visual adventure that will immerse you in far-off lands and obscure discoveries, offering a unique perspective on the world's hidden treasures.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, History, Maps, Reference, Geography

279 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2018

Reviews

[Sumit RK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atlas of the Unexpected is a compendium of places most unusual places on earth. Far from the 7 wonders of the world and the most visited places, this book focuses on the odd & unknown, mystifying yet equally enchanting places of the world.

This book has been divided in 5 sections: Accidental Discoveries, Strange Roots, Haphazard Destinations, Cavernous Locations and Serendipitous Spaces.

From the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls & an Underground city to the ‘Glass Beach’ in USA & A Chess City in Russia, this book has it all. From the man-made wonders of floating islands to natural wonders the author Travis Elborough takes you on a magical journey to some of the world’s most unimaginable and unknown places. With 45 unique places, Atlas of the Unexpected is one journey which you don’t want to miss.

Even as a fan of the Lonely Planet series, most of the places in the book were unknown to me. Clearly a lot of research has gone in the book. The decision to avoid some other fascinating but now well-known places like the 7 wonders or the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls, makes the book truly unique.

Each of the 45 places come with a complete maps, photographs and complete background story of the place. Most of the photographs brilliantly capture the essence of the location. The maps were informative and the backstory provided is intriguing enough for you to search more about these places online. Overall, it is a highly entertaining & informative read that grabs your attention throughout the book. If you love travelling & exploring new places, you will love this book. (4.5/5)

Many thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Aurum Press and NetGalley for the ARC.  

[Andrew Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating exploration of some of the oddest and most enchanting places on our planet. This book provides maps, photographs and an overview of each, the vast majority of which I’d never previously been aware of. There are weird living spaces, amazing architecture and much more.

My favourite ‘things’ here include: the stunning Fly Geyser in Nevada, Chess City in Kalmykia, Russia and Garbage City close to Cairo in Egypt. But there are loads of interesting places, facts and backgrounds to contemplate and digest. And some of the photographs are astonishing. I think this would make a brilliant coffee table browsing book and a great present for anyone interested in learning about some of the world’s great delights and surprises.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Aurum Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the fortuitous discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls, to the savvy invention of Vaseline at an American oil rig, Atlas of the Unexpected uncovers the most astounding and bizarre discoveries which have been unearthed on our planet.

Packed with incredible photos, maps and information, Atlas Of The Unexpected was everything I hoped it would be. Exploring unexpected things to have been discovered across the world, the books has such a great breadth of intriguing things. Items that I thought were fascinating included The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Buzludzha Monument and Jaisalmer Fort.

The way this is book is written is just as elegant. Poetic and really descriptive, it is a rich read packed with informative and quite interesting places that really grab your attention throughout the book. Drawing you in, Elborough really seems passionate about sharing these places and it makes for intriguing reading from start to finish, and in company with the maps and pictures, perfect.

Just such an impressive book, if you like strange things, you’re going to love this.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley/Publisher for a honest review).

[kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A souvenir of my own travel (albeit not to an unimaginable destination), Atlas of Unexpected Places offers tidbits about 45 unique and intriguing places, ranging from the shell grotto in Kent to the Uros Floating Islands in Peru.

This is definitely a book that baits a lot of hooks and then moves on, letting the audience decide what to look into further. One minor downside of this is Elborough's approach to his blurbs: he often introduces one concept or idea, only to then perform a neat hail mary to connect it to the actual place he's featuring. An example: Hitatchi Seaside Park, which is tied to Carl Lonnaeus's floral clock: both types of time-keeping via botany. And while fascinating, the biggest problem with this approach is that it squanders space that could be more usefully used to discuss the locale being focused on.

My final complaint is that a paperback copy in black and white absolutely removes some of the awe and splendor from the locations listed. Glancing at a photograph of Lake Hillier in Australia, for example, does nothing until you stumble upon the description of its "strawberry-milkshake colour"—and then a quick google reveals how truly unexpectedly pink it is.

Or reading about Fly Geyser, an accidentally created man-made geyser: the black and white pictures are interesting, but seeing it in its "otherworldly" color is....something magic.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating collection of places with unusual histories, stories of discovery, or geographical anomalies. Each takes just a couple of pages of text, written with wit and insight, supplemented with maps and photographs.

I found this really gripping and devoured it in a couple of settings. I loved the variety of places covered and the different reasons for their inclusion. The writing was beautiful and quite simple and this added to its appeal.

My only issue was that the photographs are all monochrome - in many cases this worked well as they were very evocative, but occasionally the appeal of the place being described depended on colour (blue green seas or layers of coloured rock) and so a few colour photos would have helped there.

A real gem, and the author has other books in the series so I will be searching these out.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Atlas of the Unexpected: Haphazard discoveries, chance places and unimaginable destinations” is a totally fascinating read, different from any book I’ve ever seen. In a gorgeous high-end package, it reveals the most bizarre and amazing discoveries unearthed across our globe.

From the Dead Sea scrolls to the invention of Vaseline at an American oil rig, Atlas of the Unexpected uncovers treasures found over centuries, with detailed witty info accompanied by specially-drawn maps that show the geographical oddities of each one. Highly recommended, especially for the trivia enthusiast and the armchair traveller. 5/5

Pub Date 06 Sep 2018

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Aurum Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#AtlasOfTheUnexpected #NetGalley

[Carol Custer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book chock full of interesting information about things you never knew you were dying to know! Perfect for every trivia lover! The photos and maps are a wonderful addition in this awe-inspiring collection of informative and well-written articles.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and well-organized book that was informative and entertaining. Recommended for a light read or unique avenue of interest.

[Clay Nass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book. Was like 50 consolidated episodes of 99% Invisible, which I love. Reckon Roman Mars would get some inspiration from this!

[Anjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been the sort of person who keeps nuggets of random information with me to use as conversation fillers and maybe for people to think I am wacky enough to start an interesting conversation with.This has bits of random facts that would hook most people to its pages. There is not much of an order in which the information is revealed to us, but is segregated into broad topics based on the discovery itself(this was slightly ambiguous but the rest of the content made me forget that fact, the segregation seemed almost irrelevant).

There are a few stories mentioned here that I have come across in passing over the years but now had a chance to know a more detailed account. I am sure there were many more places that could have been featured in this, but the focus was on the most prominent of those across the world. There are very detailed maps, a sort of timeline and even the geographic coordinates for those thus inclined. It is another book that can grace your shelf for years to come and will continue to see daily use because it can not all be read in one go and needs to be savoured and discussed (preferably animatedly) in bits and pieces.
I bought a copy of the book because I was unable to complete the Advance review copy within the allotted time and the little I had read fascinated me enough to break out of my habit of not randomly purchasing books
For other unrelated reviews: www.superfluousreading.wordpress.com

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review written: September 21, 2018
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Heat Rating: N/A

An Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book was received free via Netgalley for an honest review.

I found Atlas of the Unexpected to be a beautiful book, perfect for a coffee table or discussion piece. The book itself is beautiful from the cover to the maps to the stunning photos (in my ARC copy, black & white). It's a work of art about some amazing natural and man-made works of art. It's really not designed to be read like a novel. It's more of book you flip through and enjoy the art and then read the story of a place that catches your eye.

The book is sub-divided into Accidental Discoveries, Strange Roots, Haphazard Destinations, Cavernous Locations, and Serendipitous Spaces. I didn't always understand why a place fell into a certain category but they were all amazing places.

I mostly struggled through the first two sections. Part of the reason for that is that, for me, the places were prosaic or I already knew the stories being told. I've been to Pompeii, for example. It's mostly lost its mystery for me. But the Haphazard Destinations really appealed and my favorite place of the book is there: Neft Dashlari. It was quite the compelling story. The caverns didn't inspire me a great deal though the stories were interesting. The last section on Serendipitous Spaces seemed to be a bit of a catch-all, places the author wanted to highlight but which just didn't fit into neat categories.

Overall, I enjoyed the middle section best with the beginning and ending sections less. I did notice a disturbing lack of places in Africa and Russia based on the map provided in the beginning. For example, there used to be a place in Russia somewhere that was similar to Yellowstone National Park but a massive event filled it with mud. That seems like a place a book like this might have highlighted but no love. Despite that, this is the type of book I enjoy having out for conversation purposes and for it's beauty.

This review is ©September 2018 by Monique N. and has been posted to Netgalley.

[Theediscerning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books, fiction or otherwise, take some time to reveal their glories. Not this one. Right from the start, when I fell in with the pattern of map, photo and two pages of very readable text for every entry, I realised this book was right up my street and doing just what it set out to do. So much so you can't mark it down, even if you could quibble about it being not full-colour, and even if you can sound churlish by pointing out a slight USA bias (a bloke knocking up a geyser by accident, and then some other bloke knocking it up again hardly counts for an earth-shattering discovery). Hidden cave cities, communities with bizarre origins, superlative dwellings, habitations and other locales all feature in this wonderful, wonderful compendium of the unlikely and the oh-so-intriguing. You wouldn't know it was a sequel, either, as it really does take you to unexpected places.

[Lili · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Netgalley for review:

This book is one that really tickled my fancy, a combination of history, interesting facts, and maps...sign me up! Definitely a book I would like to read again in hard format rather than an ARC digital because it makes for an excellent coffee table style book, especially for people who love maps. I was very entertained to see a reference to the Georgia Colony in Savannah, as someone who grew up in Georgia and had to take several Georgia specific history classes, it gave me a chuckle. My only complaint about this book is its photography, I wish it was not black and white (strictly a stylized thing, I know) for older photos that is fine, but I feel there is a lot being missed out on by using black and white instead of color.

[Edwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed flipping through this book a few pages at a time, perusing its maps and pictures and discovering new places. The writing was pretty tightly focused on the landmarks covered, though it frequently took a few paragraphs to see where the author was going with things. My biggest issues with the book were the quality of the maps and the lack of color photographs. The maps were very basic and often did not give a good sense of scale or location. As for the photographs, the descriptions of the brilliant colors of many of the highlighted landmarks left me yearning for more than black and white pictures. I realize that increases the cost of a book, but it would have been worth it in this case.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle of this intriguing book is Haphazard Discoveries, Chance Places, and Unimaginable Destinations. Ready to explore? Start turning the pages.

I was drawn into this work right away, simply by looking at the dotted world map. How interesting to see just how widely scattered the finds were. Topics covered include Accidental Discoveries, Strange Roots, Haphazard Destinations, Cavernous Locations, and Serendipitous Spaces. Within each group find things like Vaseline, The Dead Sea Scrolls, Chess City, Uros Floating Islands and the Lascaux Caves; there are so many choices within this title. Each entry is pretty fascinating.

Recommended for those with eclectic and inquiring minds.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

[Laurel Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in an hour or so on a plane journey to Greece - if I have the correct book there. I have read two of Travis Elborough’s books so could be wrong. If it contains an entry on Mother Shiptons then it is the book I’m thinking of. Either way, some places I knew of, others were completely new. Quite good (both books)

The writing style is to give you an introduction and snippet of the history of a semi forgotten location and you are at your own leisure to look into it further if sufficient interest takes you there. My only gripe is that a little bit more history than what he gives you would scratch my history research itch more.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not my usual choice and I was pleasantly surprised at it's uniqueness and ability to keep me entertained!

The maps are beautiful and the way Travis writes about each place left me astounded and amazed (I keep telling people about how we found the Dead Sea scrolls because I still cannot believe the story).

His particular point of view and the angle he has chosen for each place is like being red a bedtime story for each. They're unique, not what you would expect to be chosen and well-written like any good storyteller.

[Andreea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sent a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I read almost half of this just to realize that it is a nice book, just the subject is not for me - and this kind of geography wasn't my thing in high school either.

Nonetheless, the pictures are great and some of the stories are really interesting, especially the bits that include history. However I just wasn't interested and I do not think it's the author's fault it.\

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The weakest of the series and STILL a load of typos and errors, but I expect them now. The writing was definitely still wiffley and again maps were small, pictures were too blurry and too monochrome. This could have been good with bigger pictures in colour, but some of the places are not really very unexpected at all.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

If one is interested in exotic and unusual places, this book is for you. I have an opportunity to visit Cahokia Mounds in Southern Illinois and that is as close as I will come to visiting the listed places!! but what a list!! If only I had the money to travel to all of these destinations.

[Alexandria Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Elbrough's "Atlas" series; it's really interesting and fun to read. Unexpected Places covers lucky discoveries, strange beginnings of islands and states, and beautiful spaces. You'll definitely want to read new locations to your travel bucket list after reading.

[Manou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many interesting places in the book, however the description of the places are only 4 pages long and lack a lot of information. You get very little information about the places, as the introduction of a place sometimes also includes not relevant information.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

" ... L'Atlante dei luoghi inaspettati è una raccolta di luoghi strani e incantati, antichi e moderni, ma tutti luoghi reali pronti per essere scoperti. .."
Un viaggio affascinante tra bellezze naturali, eventi storici, paesaggi incredibili.

[Andy Janes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun atlas of interesting places, each with a small map and a story. Honestly could have used move photos!

[Lisa Buren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of fun facts, pictures and maps to entertain your friends with!

[Nikky]

Probably would have been more interesting if I didn’t spend my entire 20s reading Wikipedia.

[Mikayla Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. Found out about some cool places and learnt some new fun facts to share.

[Marta Dašić · Rating 2 out of 5]

For someone writing about the whole world, the author unfortunately has an extremely western-based and biased viewpoint.

[Richard Ströberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating places, well written and all, but I would have liked it better with fewer destinations more thoroughly explored and the pictures are suprisingly low standard.

[GONZA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is super cool, there are so many exotic and interesting and also scary place to visit in the world, and in this volume there are many depicted and explained, plus good stories are told about them. I would recommend this book to all the fans of Martin Mystere or Atlas Obscura.

Questo libro é bellissimo, ci sono ancora tantissimi strani ed interessanti posti da visitare nel mondo e molti sono spiegati e fotografati in questo volume assieme ad alcune storie che li riguardano. Consiglierei questo atlante a tutti gli amanti di Atlas Obscura ed i fan di Martin Mystere!

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!