The Greatest Treasure-Hunting Stories Ever Told: Twenty-One Unforgettable Tales of Discovery [Hardcover]

Charles Elliott (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003 | Series: Greatest

"There is something about a treasure," says Joseph Conrad in Nostromo, "that fastens on a man's mind." And, yes, there is something about the subject of treasure hunting that continues to fascinate us. One need only browse the Web to discover a whole netherworld of treasure-hunting magazines, metal-detector clubs, and lost-mine information exchanges that apparently engage the funds and spare time of thousands of hopefuls. But digging up tin cans and discarded horseshoes or crashing through the Superstitions in a "recreational vehicle" somehow goes against the romantic grain. Charles Elliott recaptures the essential romance of the search in this collection of classic stories. Many are true--or purport to be. They encompass all the great themes--obsession, tragedy, danger, crime, frustration, terrible physical challenge, success and disappointment. They take place under the sea, in jungles, on desert islands, even in the attics of old houses. The treasure itself is not always gold, silver, and diamonds--it may be lost documents, or the solution to a historical puzzle, or an unexpected archaeological discovery. What is common to them all is the excitement of the chase and the possibility--irrational, perhaps, but unavoidable--that a fabulous treasure really is there for the finding.


Sholem Aleichem
Richard D. Altick
George Borrow
H. A. Bryden
Arthur L. Campa
Howard Carter
Hedley A. Chilvers
Bernal Diaz del Castillo
J. Frank Dobie
P. H. Fawcett
H. Rider Haggard
Austen Henry Layard
Pierre de Lotil
André Malraux
Cotton Mather
Samuel Pepys
Edgar Allan Poe
Jean Rivoire
M. Aurel Stein
Robert St. Enuit
John L. Stephens
Robert Louis Stevenson
B. Traven
Jules Verne

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Charles Elliott:
"Excellent as always. Charles Elliott is a wonderfully informed and engaging writer."
--Bill Bryson

"Every once in a while, a book publisher comes up with a great concept for a series of books that deserve more than superficial recognition. Such a series is "The Greatest (fill in the blank) Stories Ever Told", anthologies that should win places on many bedside tables. On the long winter nights that lie ahead, such stories make great reading." --The Lexington County Chronicle

"fascinating collection"- Forecast

From the Back Cover

"There is something about a treasure," says Joseph Conrad in Nostromo, "that fastens on a man's mind." And, yes, there is something about the subject of treasure hunting that continues to fascinate us. One only needs to browse the Web to discover a whole netherworld of treasure-hunting magazines, metal-detector clubs, and lost-mine information exchanges that apparently engage the funds and spare time of thousands of hopefuls. But digging up tin cans and discarded horseshoes or crashing through the Superstitions in a "recreational vehicle" somehow goes against the romantic grain. Charles Elliott recaptures the essential romance of the search in this collection of classic stories. Many are true - or purport to be. They encompass all the great themes - obsession, tragedy, danger, crime, frustration, terrible physical challenge, success and disappointment. They take place under the sea, in jungles, on desert islands, even in the attics of old houses. The treasure itself is not always gold, silver, and diamonds - it may be lost documents, the solution to a historical puzzle, or an unexpected archaeological discovery. What is common to them all is the excitement of the chase and the possibility - irrational, perhaps, but unavoidable -that treasure really is there for the finding.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585746835
• ISBN-13: 978-1585746835
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,419,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure Trove of Adventure, May 16, 2011

By 

Couch Cutie (Cypress, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Greatest Treasure-Hunting Stories Ever Told: Twenty-One Unforgettable Tales of Discovery (Hardcover)

"The Greatest Treasure-Hunting Stories Ever Told" is a collection of treasure seeking accounts drawn from factual and fictional accounts by some of history's greatest authors.

Among the factual accounts is that of Percy Fawcett, which reveals the motivation for his last and tragic expedition into the infamous Mato Grosso region of Brazil. Another fascinating account is M. Aurel Stein's machinations in acquiring portions of the Tun-Huang treasure in Chinese Turkestan in the early twentieth century. There are many other factual accounts detailing such treasures and the events surrounding them, such as, the Tutankhamen trove and the Aztec's treasures in relation to the Spanish invasion.

Bridging the gap between the factual and fictional is Malroux's fictionalized account of Cambodian temple carving theft, which is based on an actual theft that he perpetrated during his honeymoon in Cambodia.

Among the fictional accounts are such gems as excerpts from the works of H. Rider Haggard, Robert Lewis Stevenson, B. Traven, Jules Verne, and Edgar Allen Poe.

From Nimrud to New Braunfels there's adventure for everyone from armchair enthusiasts to those individuals that would actively seek still undiscovered treasure.

1.0 out of 5 stars THE GREATEST TREASURE-HUNTING, October 10, 2010

By 

Ricky D. Hewes "WillingBill" (Albuquerque) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Greatest Treasure-Hunting Stories Ever Told: Twenty-One Unforgettable Tales of Discovery (Hardcover)

AS AN AVID READER TO TREAURE STORES, I FOUND THE BOOK TO BE DULL AND LACKING INTEREST. IT WAS EASY TO PUT DOWN AND FAILED IN THE CATAGORY OF EXCIMENT.