After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed "New Yorker" writer Grann sets out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century: what happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z?
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After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed "New Yorker" writer Grann sets out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century: what happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z?
Read Less
Add this copy of The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the to cart. $12.08, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2010 by Vintage.
The Lost City of Z is an excellent nonfiction narrative telling the story of British soldier and explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for a legendary lost city in the jungles of the Amazon River basin. The book also tells of author David Grann's own journey as he conducts research on the life and times of Percy Fawcett. Grann does a good job of giving the reader the big picture of the era and the context of the times in which Fawcett lived; we learn about the adventure stories of King Solomon's Mines and The Lost World, the search for the source of the Nile River, the rubber industry in Brazil, Hiram Bingham's discovery of Machu Picchu in the Andes in 1911, World War I, and Fawcett's competition with Doctor Alexander Hamilton Rice. Fawcett's obsession with finding the legendary city of Z is a prevailing theme in the book; unfortunately, Fawcett and his son Jack went looking for this lost city in 1925 and were never heard from again. An index, bibliography, maps, and photographs are included in this meticulously-researched story about one of the great explorers of the Victorian Era.
at271127
Mar 22, 2012
Excellent
This is a great book for anyone looking for true adventure stories in the Indiana Jones genre. Also a lot of little-known information on South America, with the dangers & problems described in an in-depth manner.
Azzie
May 22, 2009
A satisfying read!
David Grann is a fun, articulate and intelligent writer/amateur adventurer who heads off in search of the Lost City of Z, better known as El Dorado. Following the route mapped out by adventurer John Fawcett in the early 1920s, Grann hopes to solve the mystery surrounding Fawcett's disappearance during the 1924 expedition in search of Z, and quite possibly find the lost city itself. Blending history, narratives from subsequent expeditions since Fawcett's disappearance and his own contemporary expedition, Grann writes a wonderful adventure story with a satisfying ending to the questions surrounding Fawcett and the city of Z. Fascinating and absorbing for anyone who's been remotely interested in the city of gold.
SeldomSeen
Feb 27, 2009
Have No Fear
Every once in a while comes a real life adventure that captures an entire culture's imagination. Such is the tale of Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett and his Quixotic quest for a lost city in the Amazon. I knew little about the man himself before reading this book, but the character of the staid, tough as nails, slightly eccentric English gentleman explorer has become something of a cultural archetype. I recognized him instantly through countless cartoons and B movies and pulp novels that he inspired. The true story, however, turns out to be even more riveting than the fiction.
David Gramm does a masterful job of not only recreating the life and expeditions of Fawcett but also captures the end of the Victorian age and the closing of the world's frontiers. When Col. Fawcett disappeared forever in the last blank spot on the map, he made the world mysterious for just a while longer.
Mr. Gramm's conclusion, arrived by following the explorer's footsteps, adds icing to the cake. Rarely have I finished a nonfiction book and felt so satisfied.
