Atlas of Forgotten Places: Journey to Abandoned Destinations from Around the Globe

A series of short vignettes on a range of different places around the world that the author considers forgotten in some way or another. While many of these places have been forgotten only by the sort of people who don't read books titled Atlas of Forgotten Places (i.e. halfwits), there are enough interesting entries to keep one turning the pages.

The "forgotten" places include an abandoned Soviet mining town in Svalbard, a bunch of old hotels fallen on hard times, a Camelot inspired theme park in Lancashire and Adolf Hitler's birthplace. The selection is certainly eclectic and I would have liked more detail on most of the entries (the average forgotten place is covered in about 3-4 pages, including a photo) but if nothing else, this is a show more jumping off point for further reading about abandoned towns, orphanages and nuclear power plants. show less

Elborough writes beautifully and thoughtfully. I loved, in his introduction, the explanation of the term "quarantine" (and drawing parallels between 40 days on Poveglia and Jesus' 40 days in the Judean desert). Similarly, I loved the exhortation to look back on the past and, in turn, "think longer and harder about the world to come and what might be worth salvaging from the wreckage" (eARC introduction).

The book proves educational and insightful, as well; did you know, for example, that Chernobyl is not the only abandoned nuclear power plant? (Enter Zarnowiec, in Poland.) Granted, different reasons gave cause for abandonment at this site, but the end result was the same. And then there's the downright beautiful, like Sammezzano Castle show more in Tuscany--ohhh, I'd love to visit that! (Same goes for Kennecott, Alaska, one location that at least geographically seems more reachable for me here in the US. Surprisingly, a lot of US locations are included--just goes to show my knowledge is by no means comprehensive!)

I found it interesting that a number of places now abandoned had some kind of Soviet connection. Not sure if that was intentional during the author's selection process, or just luck of the draw!

Each location features sizable maps; helpful on the one hand, but on the other, I almost wish the maps were smaller, with more photographs included. Some locations had 3+ photos; others had 1, and I often found myself wanting to see more of the actual facility/grounds in lieu of a map (or at least more photographic equity?)..

Brighton's West Pier was a surprising addition; I've been reading a fair bit of Jane Austen over the last year or so--in fact, just today finished listening to a production of _Mansfield Park_--and Brighton often merits at least a passing mention there. The "skeletal shell" is sobering!

A fascinating and thought-provoking read. 4/5 stars.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less

Atlas of Forgotten Places by Travis Elborough is another volume in the Unexpected Atlas series and is my favorite so far. That is primarily because the places resonate with me more and not because it is necessarily a better book than the rest. They are all quite good and at least one will likely appeal to any reader.

The basic format is a brief history of the location, from how it came to be all the way through to how it came to be forgotten. I think these short histories are what appeal to me the most, the various ways in which a place can fall into disrepair and become neglected and "forgotten." While I would like more pictures there are enough to show what each locale looks like. Each also includes a map so you can better place it in show more your mind.

I would recommend every book in the series, look them over and see which appeal to you the most. If you're like me, they will all be interesting. This one did one thing the others also did, but to a greater degree for me, which was motivate me to research some of the sites a little further. The histories were that interesting.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Review excerpt from a longer article:

Time Take-aways for Life-Long Learners: Geography Connections

From forgotten and imagined places to powerful political relationships, connect geography with topics across the curriculum through these recently published books.

...

Atlas of Forgotten Places
Travis Elborough, 2021, White Lion Publishing, an imprint of Quarto Group
Themes: Geography, Travel

Part of the Unexpected Atlas series, this new title uses engaging color photos, maps, and stories to explore 40 mysterious sites around the world.
Take-aways: Use these fascinating places to discuss why some places seem to disappear.

...

Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply show more encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb show less