Phantom Islands of the Atlantic: The Legends of Seven Lands that Never Were - Hardcover

Johnson, Sara Raup

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0285633953 ISBN 13: 9780285633957

Publisher: Souvenir Press Ltd, 1997

Synopsis

They were conjured out of myth, human error, and occasionally a captain's hubris, but they appeared on maps for centuries--even though many never existed at all. Here are the compelling stories of seven islands which mapmakers documented and depicted in the Age of Discovery, but which really arose from sailors' tales and fanciful legends brought back from the uncharted wilderness that was the Atlantic Ocean.

Donald S. Johnson reveals each island's dark origins and mysterious cartographic life through an intricate exploration of history and myth. From the Isle of Demons, born of a fable invented by pious Christians, to the elusive Buss Island, the creation of an ambitious explorer, these places of the imagination are a fascinating legacy of a bygone age. Beautifully illustrated with dozens of maps and engravings, Phantom Islands of the Atlantic brings these legendary lands to life for a remarkable odyssey into the human spirit of exploration.

About this title

Review

Prior to the discovery of continental drift and the birth of islands by volcanic action, a different sort of movement and birth of landmasses took place: the continual cartographic displacement of approximately 27,000 nonexistent islands reputed to exist in the Atlantic and the ontological displacement of the islands from imaginative "existence" on maps and in traveler's tales. Johnson traces the birth, lives, and deaths of seven of these elusive islands of the Atlantic--including their towns, villages, and exotic inhabitants such as St. Ursula and her 11,000 virgin companions (what a lure this must have been to lusty sailors!)--from maps and ship's logs. In the process, he reveals much about the ways in which imagination becomes reality through social consensus and the authority of the printed document.

About the Author

Donald S. Johnson is the author of Charting the Sea of Darkness: The Four Voyages of Henry Hudson, which won acclaim from the New York Times and Sea History, and his Cruising Guide to the Coast of Maine is a sailor's bible. He has also written numerous articles on sailing, navigation, maritime history. When not sailing or lecturing, Johnson lives in Perry, Maine.

Edition details

• Publisher: Souvenir Press Ltd
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0285633953
• ISBN 13: 9780285633957
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240