The Dictionary of Imaginary Places

Posted on 24 September 2017 by Alberto Manguel

From Atlantis to Xanadu and beyond, this Baedeker of make believe takes readers on a tour of than 1,200 realms invented by storytellers from Homer s day to our own Here you will find Shangri La and El Dorado Utopia and Middle Earth Wonderland and Freedonia Here too are Jurassic Park, Salman Rushdie s Sea of Stories, and the fabulous world of Harry Potter The history and behavior of the inhabitants of these lands are described in loving detail, and are supplemented by than 200 maps and illustrations that depict the lay of the land in a host of elsewheres A must have for the library of every dedicated reader, fantasy fan, or passionate browser, Dictionary is a witty and acute guide for any armchair traveler s journey into the landscape of the imagination. Free Read The Dictionary of Imaginary Places [ Author ] Alberto Manguel [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr More of a novelty than anything else, the Dictionary of Imaginary Places is just that a big fat alphabetized compendium of places that exist only in legends and myths and novels and other stories It s the kind of book that aspiring novelists put on their coffee tables to impress other aspiring hipster novelists What s with all those sticky notes and penciled in remarks Oh, you know Research Annotations And this whole sheet stuffed in there I was trying to see what it would look like More of a novelty than anything else, the Dictionary of Imaginary Places is just that a big fat alphabetized compendium of places that exist only in l...This is an absolutely fabulous book for anyone of any age If you re capable of letting your mind wander to far off and completely fictional places, you ll be entranced immediately Its the kind of thing you read a few pages of before bed to ensure charming and enchanting dreams.I fell upon this book when it was first published like a punter attacking an ice cream during the interval in an over hot theatre Just the title had me drooling, and once inside the book I was in seventh heaven First of all it took places described in a range of literary works as literally true by giving each a Baedeker style travel guide entry Then, like any good Baedeker it provided maps and charts giving vis...Nesta era em que cada mil metro quadrado do planeta est mapeado com rigor, observado pelo olhar lenticular dos sat lites em rbita, cada recanto registado pelas suas coordenadas no espa o abstracto dos meridianos e paralelos, fotografado nos espectros do infravermelho ao ultravioleta, calcorreado por exploradores, aventureiros ou servos de gigantes tecnol gicos apostados em digitalizar o planeta, tra ado em atlas e mapas pixelizados, precisamos talvez mais do que nunca de espa os desconhecidos, Nesta era em que cada mil metro quadrado do planeta est mapeado com rigor, observado pelo olhar lenticular dos sat lites em rbita, cada recanto registado pelas suas coordenadas no espa o abstracto dos meridianos e paralelos, fotografado nos espectros do infravermelho ao ultravioleta, calcorreado por exploradores, aventureiros ou servos de gigantes tecnol gicos apostados em digitalizar o planeta, tra ado em atlas e mapas pixelizados, precisamos talvez mais do que nunca de espa os desconhecidos, de vazios nos mapas que prometem drag es e ao faz lo despertam os voos mais ex ticos da imagina o humana Foi este o meu primeiro pensamento ao folhear este deli...In our progressively shrinking world, it is no small feat to map the mysterious nor to put to paper, as much as one can, the lands that only a small group of people dared to tread There were so few of these folk and so wild were the stories that reached us, that any person of sensible, rational persuasion can only but doubt and lay aside these tales as the not so simple work of fanciful creativity and wild imagination Some voices might even call out with that shr...I first got the 1987 edition of this book as a gift from my uncle in the mid nineties, and it has since been one of my favorite volumes to idly peruse Though it contains lengthy entries on the most frequently visited of imaginary places, such as Middle earth, Earthsea, and Oz, its entries on less familiar regions such as Sylvia Townsend Warner s Kingdoms of Elfin are welcome, and this updated edition includes such recently explored places as Hogwarts and Neverwhere.This work was my first introd I first got the 1987 edition of this book as a gift from my uncle in the mid nineties, and it has since been one of my favorite volumes to idly peruse Though it contains lengthy entries on ...I m so tickled by the existence of this book The title pretty much sums it up this is an encyclopedia of imaginary places ranging from the fantastical Middle Earth, Narnia, Wonderland to therealistic Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe s island, Xanadu In fact, this dictionary is worth looking at just for the extensive descriptions of Middle Earth and Narnia The authors treat every location as though it actually exists, which is part of the fun of reading it There are also some wond I m so tickled by the existence of this book The title pretty much sums it up this is an encyclopedia of imaginary places ranging from the fantastical Middle Earth, Narnia, Wonderland...One of my favorite books for browsing An inexhaustible index of imaginary lands in literature from The Grand Duchy of Fenwick to Burrough s Pellucidar to Carroll s Wonderland Many entries are illustrated with maps and all come with detailed descriptions of the lands The fact that the writers treat these entries like they are real places that you may travel to, simply lends a delightful air in the enjoyment of this book I ve had this book since its first publication in 1987 and I never fail t One of my favorite books for browsing An inexhaustible index of imaginary lands in literature from The Grand Duchy of Fenwick to Burrough s Pellucidar to Carroll s Wonderland Many entries are illustrated with maps and all come with detailed descri...It s not really a dictionary some parts are written like a tour guide, othersof an atlas The entries describe locations from fantasy novels, from Gulliver s travels through Harry Potter I noticed it included a few of Calvino s invisible cities, and some lands that Borges described, which is appropriate for such a Borgesian enterprise The maps and illustrations are well done It s a fun way to browse for new things to read If you re willing to put up with an older edition no Hogwarts It s not really a dictionary some parts are written like a tour guide, othersof an atlas The entries describe locations from fantasy novels, from Gulliver s travels through Harry Potter I noticed it included a ...A vast and entertaining encyclopedia of invented places, from Homer to the Marx Brothers movies and Borges Urnland, where the whole of literature and language consists of one word, undr, which means wonder and is sometimes represented by a f...

English
24 September 2017

Alberto Manguel