BOOK REVIEW
For the travel enthusiast…
‘Atlas Obscura’: Don’t
leave home without it
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Syndicated Book Reviewer
I
t’s never a bad time to take a vacation.
You never want a bad destination,
though: no places that are disagreeably sea-
sonal. No locales that are too people-y, too
remote, too kiddish, or too 1950s. It’s never a bad
time to take a vacation but there are better plac-
es to visit than the same-old, same-old, so grab
“Atlas Obscura: The Second Edition” by Joshua
Foer, Dylan Thuras & Ella Morton, and get pack-
ing.
In 2020, you’re gonna cross a few things off
your bucket list.
You’re going to travel, see the world, meet
new people – or at least you’ll read about them,
anyhow, which is where this book comes in.
Starting with the British Isles and moving about,
“Atlas Obscura” offers unique and hidden places
to visit and things you won’t normally see. It’ll
make your wanderlust, lust.
If you’re heading for London, for example,
stop and see Jeremy Bentham’s headless body.
Being mummified was what Bentham wanted
when he died but alas, his noggin was stolen too
many times by mischief-makers, and it’s under
lock and key.
Collectors will understand the Hill of Crosses
in Lithuania, where more than 100,000 crucifix
and cross statues stand. “Atlas Obscura” says
that the Soviets tried to do away with this field of
Christian symbols by bulldozing it thrice, but it
was rebuilt each time. Conversely, if you’re in La
Paz, Bolivia, look for the Witches’ Market, or the
Devil’s Swimming Pool in Zambia.
Visit a tannery in Morocco (but be prepared:
urine and fecal matter are prime ingredients
there). See a cave in Guam that was home to
“holdouts” from World War II for nearly 30
years. Spend a night in a hanging sphere on
Vancouver Island.
Or maybe you’d rather stick closer to home:
Visit the Museum of Death in Hollywood. See the
world’s largest organism in Utah; tour a paper
house in New England. Visit Spirit Houses in
Alaska, hike inside a mountain in South Dakota
www.meridianstar.com
to see a waterfall, and gaze upon the Loretto
Chapel Stairs in New Mexico.
Are you packed yet?
For sure, a few dozen words don’t do “Atlas
Obscura: The Second Edition” justice. Revised,
updated, with new information and more desti-
nations to see, this is the kind of book you really
need to put in your hands to fully appreci-
ate.
In a way, it does
double-service.
For anyone with
means and a way, it’s
like throwing a dart
at a map to determine
your next vacation
site, only in book form.
Authors Foer, Thuras,
and Morton offer up
the kind of locales that
you’ve either never
heard of, or just don’t
think about – and they
make these places
easy to visit by includ-
ing travel information
as well as phone num-
bers, fax numbers,
and other tips for a
good visit.
For the reader
who’s not going any-
where for now, well,
you will – in your mind
– with “Atlas Obscura:
The Second
Edition.” It’s browse-able fun. It’s useful and
interesting, full-color, wide-scoped, and if you’re
tossing things in a suitcase, leave room. Pack this.
“Atlas Obscura: The Second Edition” by
Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras & Ella Morton, 472
pages,
c. 2019, Workman, $37.50.
• Terri Schlichenmeyer of The Bookworm
Sez is a self-syndicated book review columnist.
Schlichenmeyer’s reviews include adult and children
books of every genre. You may contact her at book-
[email protected]
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