or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
Sorry!
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Atlas
  
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Atlas (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Scissoring legs and shadows scudding like clouds across the marble proved destiny in action, for the people who rushed through this concourse came from the..." (more)
Key Phrases: shaggy boy, red song, soda girl, Phnom Penh, San Francisco, Mexico City (more...)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

Price: $30.60 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Temporarily out of stock.
Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Hardcover $30.60 $30.60 --
  Paperback $13.50 $9.48 $4.39

Frequently Bought Together

Atlas + The Rainbow Stories (Contemporary American Fiction) + Rising Up and Rising Down : Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means
Price For All Three: $53.88

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

  • This item: Atlas by William T. Vollmann

    Temporarily out of stock.
    Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details

  • The Rainbow Stories (Contemporary American Fiction) by William T. Vollmann

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Rising Up and Rising Down : Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means by William T. Vollmann

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Rising Up and Rising Down : Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means

Rising Up and Rising Down : Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means

by William T. Vollmann
4.4 out of 5 stars (14)  $6.78
Poor People

Poor People

by William T. Vollmann
3.6 out of 5 stars (14)  $13.22
Whores for Gloria: A Novel (Contemporary American Fiction)

Whores for Gloria: A Novel (Contemporary American Fiction)

by William T. Vollmann
4.6 out of 5 stars (5)  $12.60
The Royal Family

The Royal Family

by William T. Vollmann
4.2 out of 5 stars (20)  $13.60
The Ice-Shirt (Seven Dreams)

The Ice-Shirt (Seven Dreams)

by William T. Vollmann
4.2 out of 5 stars (12)  $13.60
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Last year could be remembered as a year in which the prolific young Vollmann did not publish a book; early 1996, however, shows that he wasn't sitting on his hands. This massive tome collects "tales" and "snapshots" of his travels over the past five years into something resembling "The World According to Me." Although Vollmann's style is to play it coy with respect to what is fact and what is fiction, there is no mystery as to who is doing the talking here: it is the same persona we've seen in all his books (The Rifles; Whores for Gloria; etc.), a kind of rogue innocent, a Candide with a supply of condoms and a girl in every port. And indeed, Atlas sports quite an itinerary: from Mt. Etna to Zagreb, with stops in dozens of places, none of which will surprise readers of Vollmann's previous travelogues. Unfortunately, for all the traveling, Vollmann never manages to escape his own obsessions. Whether he is discoursing on drinking beer or shooting heroin or smoking crack or chewing khat in San Francisco, Bangkok or Kenya, the reader is treated to the same lovelorn teddy-bear pining after a devastated whoredom, as if the world can be reduced to a rainy afternoon in a bug-infested hotel room. The Vollmann character throws money around (within limits), makes halting efforts at moral education, professes his love and then starts another chapter. Is this the noblesse oblige of the post-partisan American? Despite a structure that Vollmann says, in his preface, is a thematic palindrome, intrepid readers may find it a thematic monotone.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Booklist

Vollmann has gained cult status in the writing world, which, by definition, means his work is not for tradition-bound, and certainly not timid, readers. His novels and stories--and differentiating between a Vollmann novel and a collection of his stories is often difficult, because, in his hands, the two forms share a similar structure--are surrealistic, sordid, sensational, and terrific. His latest book is ostensibly a 53-piece collection of travel writing, "a piecemeal atlas of the world I think in," as he words it. What it is, in effect, is a kaleidoscope of verbal pictures, rendered with the incredible vividness of his gritty but beautiful style. Whether he's writing about the crowds in New York's Grand Central Station ("the people who rushed through this concourse came from the rim of everywhere to be ejaculated everywhere, redistributing themselves without reference to each other" ) or witnessing mosquitoes driving human and beast to madness in the Yukon ("the most horrible thing that I have ever seen" ), Vollmann expresses himself with a clarity and a visualization all his own. His readership is growing; no fan will be disappointed here. Brad Hooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Hardcover
  • Publisher: San Val (June 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1417703717
  • ISBN-13: 978-1417703715
  • Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,723,112 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #26 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( V ) > Vollmann, William

More About the Author

William T. Vollmann
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's William T. Vollmann Page

Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look into exotic places, February 18, 2005
This review is from: The Atlas (Paperback)
Vollmann has almost written the perfect book. He falls short by presenting only singularities and anecdotes regarding his travels. If he had included historical frameworks, or traced the interactions he had, a la Robert Kaplan, to a historical framework that informs the present, the reader would walk away with more. He has balls to travel in some of the places that he has. He allows the reader to step into situations that he or she might find prohibitvely dangerous. He has a sensitive eye to present the hardships of the land of the people in a way that is beautiful and tragic. One of the most disturbing vingettes was a trip in Northern Canada where he saw a hitch hiker being consumed by mosquitoes; she was flailing around going mad. The Bosnia scenes and many of the San Francisco scenes are also memorable. I live in the neighborhood, Mission District, where some of his vingettes take place. I have to say I can certainly see the underside of the city that he is talking about.
Note, this is not a novel. It is more of a travel journal of dissociated experiences and visions. It is a history of the everyday.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Beauty in ugliness, March 6, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Atlas (Paperback)
The prose of this novel is stark, as is the view of the world presented though the eyes of characters who all seem to be lost travellers--in both a physical and a spiritual sense. The observations of the grim and unpleasant aspects of the physical conditions of life as well as the un-human ways that people treat each other risks total alienation of the reader. But if you're willing to step outside of your ordinary expectations as to the representation of emotion in a novel, then these strange tales come alive. The book presents a dark surface and shows much of what is worst in life, but manages to be an affirmation of our attempts to strive for beauty rather than a condemnation of our failures.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh Yeah, July 13, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Atlas (Paperback)
Why do I like Vollmann? Because he never judges a person. Whereas everybody and their friggin uncle are judging him all the time. I admire the writer who can say what he has to say and stand by those words. I've seen Vollmann on book tour twice here in Chicago. The first was for Butterfly Stories and the second was for The Atlas. When he asked the small crowd of students at Northwestern University who had read the Atlas, I raised my hand and told him that the Rifles was a better book. Some of the students snickered and Vollmann replied "Well that's a good book to." Honestly it took several readings of the Atlas to finally appreciate it. My favorite stories are the African and Canadian stories. Read this one while you're traveling alone. (Alex Sydorenko, July 1999, Chicago)
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Ideas in Books
I have heard for many long months in 1995 that "the book event" of the year was coming my way. I was sent many pretentious postcards. Read more
Published on April 19, 2004 by alexander laurence

2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment--self-consciously avant-garde
I'd been looking forward to reading Vollman since I have enjoyed writers he's often compared with, like Thomas Pynchon, David Foster Wallace, and Richard Powers. Read more
Published on March 4, 2002 by Carper

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece from possibly our best living writer.
William Vollmann is not only a living master of the English language canon, he is one of my very favourite authors, personally. Read more
Published on June 23, 2000 by foxhaunt

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh Yeah
Why do I like Vollmann? Because he never judges a person. Whereas everybody and their friggin uncle are judging him all the time. Read more
Published on July 13, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Electrifying, Bewildering, Overpowering Journey
Well, now that I've gotten all the big adjectives out of the way (my reply to that 80's scourge, minimalism), I should say that right after starting this book I felt that Vollmann... Read more
Published on April 30, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary,Fascinating, and Unique!
"The Atlas" is very unique in the way it is written. It strikes me as being a combination of diary, prose, and an empathetic statement about a seedy side of life all... Read more
Published on March 26, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars so why aren't you reading this incredible writer?
Wake up world! This author, from his first sentence to his last makes one wish they could write as he does. This book is a literary adventure and worthy of prizes.
Published on October 18, 1997

4.0 out of 5 stars Fragmented stories form breathtaking volume. A v.good read.
William T. Vollmann's The Atlas is a collection of short stories wrapped around themes of search and loneliness. Read more
Published on October 31, 1996

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums




Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:




i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.