Customer Reviews

Atlantis Encyclopedia

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Of the estimated 2,500 books and magazine articles published about the lost civilization, The Atlantis Encyclopedia is the only one of its kind. It is an attempt to bring together all the known details of this immense, continually fascinating subject, as well as provide succinct definitions and clear explanations." - From the Atlantis Encyclopedia

Most books about the lost continent of Atlantis are largely theoretical. However, The Atlantis Encyclopedia is more fact oriented, focusing on areas such as geology, oceanography, and astronomy, as well as the numerous folk traditions around the world which preserve memories of a great flood. The exhaustive information presented in this book is the result of more than two decades of continuous study and international travel by the author. From Morocco's underground shrine to Britain's Stonehenge, seldom seen solar monuments in Japan's remote forests to a cannibal temple in Polynesia, Frank Joseph takes novice readers, specialists, and skeptics alike on an intensive journey through Atlantean civilization.

The Atlantis Encyclopedia-written in an alphabetic, encyclopedic format-also offers comprehensive information about the Pacific counterpart to Atlantis: the lost kingdom of Mu, also known as Lemuria. A few of the topics covered in this book:

* Viracocha, the early Inca culture-hero who "rose" from the depths of Lake Titicaca
* Balor, the king of the giant Sea People in Irish folklore
* Island of Jewels, the paradisiacal realm in Hindu myth. At the center of this island hidden by misty akasha, was a magnificent palace where all wishes were granted.
* Enki, the sea-god of Sumerian myth who was a pre-flood culture-bearer from Atlantis
* Numinor, J.R.R. Tolkien's version of Atlantis in Lord of the Rings. Tolkien claimed to have been plagued since childhood by nightmares he believed were past-life memories of the Atlantean catastrophe-nightmares also shared by his son. (Numinor was also known as Ele'na and Westernesse).
* Ragnarok, the Norse "Twilight of the Gods"
* Pleiades, also known as Atlantides, means "Daughter of Atlas". Greek scholar Diodoras Siculus wrote that the Pleiades were not originally mythic figures, but real women who married Atlantean culture bearers. Long after their deaths, they were regarded as divine, and commemorated as a star cluster.
* Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote about Atlantis in a 1928 serialization by The Saturday Evening Post called The Maracot Deep.

At 312-pages, this reference book also features 16 full-color photographs and images, as well as black-and-white photos interspersed throughout the text. Questions addressed in this book include:

* What was Atlantis?
* Where was it located?
* How long ago did it flourish?
* How was it destroyed?
* What became of its survivors?
* Have any remains of Atlantis ever been found?
* Will Atlantis ever be found?
* Did Atlantis have any impact on America?

The Atlantis Encyclopedia is a unique and valuable resource that doesn't aim to prove that the sunken capital actually existed. Yet, with all the evidence mustered on its behalf, even skeptics may conclude that there is SOMETHING factual behind this enduring, global legend.

I was never a big fan of the Atlantis fantasy, that was until two years ago when I had the idea to use satellite imagery to search for signs of lost cities. I wanted to find locations to start my search, so I went to the history section of the book store and came across this book. Although I was a little embarassed to buy a book with "Atlantis" in the title, I couldn't pass it up. There is an incredible amount of information on obscure discoveries and off-the-beaten-path historical sites in this book. What is great about the Atlantis aspect of it, is that it does not push a pet theory, but instead offers up everything related to it such as Atl, Mu, flood myth, or "sea people". Suprisingly, I went on to make some very interesting satellite discoveries of my own and wrote a book, Noah's Ark, Discovering the Science of Man's Oldest Mystery, that lends support to an Atlantis beginning for civilization.

There are over two thousand books and articles published about Atlantis: so why the need for yet another? Unlike others on the topic, The Atlantis Encyclopedia offers less speculation and more emphasis on known facts gathered from geology, astronomy and other scientific disciplines. Ongoing research, international travel, and on-site explorations by the author gather the facts past and present, gathering plenty of evidence to point to the conclusion that Atlantis at least existed.

The evidence for lost continents such as Atlantis and Lemuria (Mu) is circumstantial at best and writing about them is controversial. While this book digs up lots of interesting facts the author should be aware that in a case like this, all facts should be as correct as possible. If a stated fact turns out to be erroneous then the truth of any statement in the book must be regarded with suspicion.

I refer to the statement on page 215 (softcover version) where it is stated that 'Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis is a novel about Atlantis'. This is totally untrue. I know the book well having read it more than once. It is a story about a man called Ransom who is kidnapped and taken to Mars where he has certain adventures. Nowhere in the story is Atlantis so much as mentioned. However, in a later book 'That Hideous Strength' by the same author, there is brief mention of 'Numenor'.

Again on page 121, Mr. Joseph gets it wrong in the story of the golden apple used by Eris to sow dissention among the gods. Eris threw the apple marked "For the Fairest" among the gods at another wedding. Three godesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite then approached Paris asking him to select the fairest(each offering a bribe). It was the result of Paris' decision in favour of Aphrodite that he met Helen and set events in motion which led to the Trojan war.

If Mr. Joseph cannot get easily verifiable facts right, then how are we to believe any other statement he makes.

A great read, a great book for those interested in the lost city of Atlantis.

Everything you want to look up is inside, along with things you didn't know you wanted to look up. No longer can they say prove Atlantis existed. Now they have to prove it didn't.

I really enjoyed this book and have used it as a reference item multiple times since I received it.