Lost Continents
 Dust-jacket for Lost Continents | |
| Author | L. Sprague de Camp |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | L. Robert Tschirky and Ric Binkley |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Atlantis |
| Publisher | Gnome Press |
Publication date | 1954 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 362 pp |
Lost Continents: The Atlantis Theme in History, Science, and Literature is a study by
Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy Science Fiction, Natural History Magazine, and the Toronto Star. It was first published in book form by Gnome Press in 1954; an updated edition was published by Dover Publications in 1970. De Camp revised the work both for its first book publication and for the updated edition.[1][2]
Overview
L. Sprague de Camp enjoyed debunking doubtful history and
Lemuria originated from the geological hypothesis about a land bridge between India and South Africa. The book goes into modern usage of the concept in speculative fiction
, as well as the various attempts to discover the "real" Atlantis.
The 1970 edition was updated to reflect the rehabilitation of
. This eruption is considered by many who think that Plato's account of Atlantis' destruction had an underlying historical basis, to be that basis.Importance
De Camp's work is still one of the most reliable sources on the lost continent theme. Lost continents or ancient civilizations sunk by a
objective
information.
Critical reception
Reviewer Groff Conklin described the original edition as "a monument of scholarship [and] a richly documented and entertaining survey of how crazy the crackpots can get."[3] Boucher and McComas praised it as "a marvelously and terrifying history of the human will-to-believe, even in the face of all factual evidence."[4]
References
- ^ Laughlin, Charlotte, & Levack, Daniel J. H. De Camp: An L. Sprague de Camp Bibliography, San Francisco, Underwood/Miller, 1983, pages 76-77.
- ^ Chalker, Jack L., & Owkings, Mark, The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998, Westminster, MD and Baltimore, Mirage Press, Ltd., 1998, page 303.
- ^ "Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf", Galaxy Science Fiction, September 1954, p.115
- ^ "Recommended Reading," F&SF, August 1954, p.80.