The Lost City of Z
A Legendary British Explorer's Deadly Quest to Uncover the Secrets of the Amazon
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4.3 • 40 Ratings
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- £0.99
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- £0.99
Publisher Description
**NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING ROBERT PATTINSON, CHARLIE HUNNAM AND SIENNA MILLER**
‘A riveting, exciting and thoroughly compelling tale of adventure’JOHN GRISHAM
The story of Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett, the inspiration behind Conan Doyle's The Lost World, by the author of the international Number One bestsellers KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON and THE WAGER
Fawcett was among the last of a legendary breed of British explorers. For years he explored the Amazon and came to believe that its jungle concealed a large, complex civilization, like El Dorado. Obsessed with its discovery, he christened it the City of Z. In 1925, Fawcett headed into the wilderness with his son Jack, vowing to make history. They vanished without a trace.
For the next eighty years, hordes of explorers plunged into the jungle, trying to find evidence of Fawcett's party or Z. Some died from disease and starvation; others simply disappeared. In this spellbinding true tale of lethal obsession, David Grann retraces the footsteps of Fawcett and his followers as he unravels one of the greatest mysteries of exploration.
‘A wonderful story of a lost age of heroic exploration’ Sunday Times
‘Marvellous ... An engrossing book whose protagonist could out-think Indiana Jones’ Daily Telegraph
‘The best story in the world, told perfectly’ Evening Standard
‘A fascinating and brilliant book’ Malcolm Gladwell
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In 1925, renowned British explorer Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett embarked on a much publicized search to find the city of Z, site of an ancient Amazonian civilization that may or may not have existed. Fawcett, along with his grown son Jack, never returned, but that didn't stop countless others, including actors, college professors and well-funded explorers from venturing into the jungle to find Fawcett or the city. Among the wannabe explorers is Grann, a staff writer for the New Yorker, who has bad eyes and a worse sense of direction. He became interested in Fawcett while researching another story, eventually venturing into the Amazon to satisfy his all-consuming curiosity about the explorer and his fatal mission. Largely about Fawcett, the book examines the stranglehold of passion as Grann's vigorous research mirrors Fawcett's obsession with uncovering the mysteries of the jungle. By interweaving the great story of Fawcett with his own investigative escapades in South America and Britain, Grann provides an in-depth, captivating character study that has the relentless energy of a classic adventure tale.
Customer Reviews
What a surprise!
Maybe I didn't read the description well enough because I was caught by the title which sounded like an Indiana Jones adventure. In fact it is a meticulously researched historical account of the history of the Amazonian people with 3D drawn characterisations dating from present day to ten thousand years ago. A fascinating and totally engrossing read, full of poisoned arrows, mosquitos and SatNavs. It's true, fact is far more exciting than fiction!
Great Read.
Was recommended to read this by a friend. Loved it. The author goes into a lot of detail. To this day, despite theories, no one really knows what happened to Fawcett. Maybe one day we'll know.