Unexplained Places and Phenomena: Books
Lost
Cities Series
David Hatcher Childress
David has published a whole series of books about his travels
around the world in search of lost cities and mysterious places.
These books are very readable and filled with photos and illustrations.
About half of the books deal with David’s first hand accounts
and the other half is filled with historical context and his personal
theories. These books are well researched and make for fascinating
reading. I consider these books to be essential to anyone interested
in traveling to mysterious places. Individual titles in the series
include:
Lost
Cities of North & Central America
Lost
Cities of China, Central Asia & India
Lost
Cities & Ancient Mysteries of Africa and Arabia
Lost
Cities of Ancient Lemuria & the Pacific
Lost
Cities & Ancient Mysteries of South America
Lost
Cities of Atlantis, Ancient Europe and the Mediterranean
Weird
America: A Guide to Places of Mystery in the United States
Jim Brandon
Unfortunately this a hard to find out of print book currently
going for about $100 used. However, I was able to track an old
copy down at my local library. Jim does a great job of detailing
weird and mysterious places in America. The book is broken down
state by state and includes many interesting photographs. Anyone
interested in road tripping or traveling around the US would be
well rewarded by tracking down a copy of this useful book.
Far
Out Adventures: The Best of World Explorer Magazine
David Hatcher Childress (Editor)
This book collects the first nine issues of World Explorer magazine
(see below). Topics covered in the book include: modern day dinosaurs
in the Congo, searching for the Yeti, the Sphinx, the quest for
Atlantis, the Great Library of Alexandria, Easter Island, the
Incas, Comacalco and more. The only real downside to this book
is that all of the photos and illustrations are reproduced in
black in white, so in many cases much of the detail has been lost.
Ancient
Structures: Remarkable Pyramids, Forts, Towers, Stone Chambers,
Cities, Complexes
William R. Corliss
William Corliss has written an entire series of books covering
different areas of study of fortean phenomena. This particular
book covers ancient structures, including astronomical observatories,
pyramids, cities and complexes, ancient towers and more. This
book is a no-nonsense scientific study of the structures he reviews.
On first glance, the book appears to be pretty dry and it has
more of a text book feel to it, but once you start to read it
you’ll find its filled with great information and is actually
very readable and not overly technical. Other interesting books
by William Corliss include:
Strange
Artifacts; A Sourcebook on Ancient Man
Unknown
Earth: A Handbook of Geological Enigmas
Carolina
Bays, Mima Mounds, Submarine Canyons and Other Topographical Phenomena:
A Catalog of Geological Anomalies
Ancient
Infrastructure: Remarkable Roads, Mines, Walls, Mounds, Stone
Circles
Biological
Anomalies, Mammals I: A Catalog of Biological Anomalies
Field
Guide to Mysterious Places Series
Salvatore Michael Trento
Salvatore has put together a series of books focusing on ancient
sacred sites in the United States. The books include many photos
and diagrams along with directions and instructions for reaching
many of the sites listed. Topics covered include standing stones,
stone chambers, petroglyphs, ruins and more. Salvatore’s
writing style is a little dry, but these books will serve as great
travel guides to anyone wishing to explore the locations he covers.
Specific books in the series include:
A
Field Guide to Mysterious Places of the West
Field
Guide to Mysterious Places of Eastern North America
Field
Guide to Mysterious Places of the Pacific Coast
Unexplained Places and Phenomena: Magazines
Fortean
Times
Published monthly in the UK, but widely available in America this
is the definitive magazine covering a wide range of fortean topics
including UFOs, cryptozoology, hauntings, and basically anything
strange or out of the ordinary. This is pretty much required reading
for anyone interested in how strange our world can be.
Ancient
American
This bi-monthly American magazine publishes articles about archeology
of the Americas before Columbus. The evidence presented in the
magazine strongly points towards the possibility of contact between
America and Europe, Asia and Africa hundreds and even thousands
of years before Columbus “discovered” America. The
magazine is printed on glossy paper, but most of the pages are
in black and white so some of the photos are not as clear as they
could be.
World Explorer
Published by the World Explorers Club, this bi-monthly magazine
focuses on explorations of mysterious places and phenomena around
the world. Topics covered include lost cities, forbidden archeology,
cryptozoology and more. David Hatcher Childress (see above) is
the founder and a frequent contributor.
Fate
For over fifty years, Fate has been printing articles dealing
with the strange and the unknown. Fate is a monthly magazine that
recently moved to a smaller TV-Guide sized format. However, the
small size does not appear to have impacted the quantity or quality
of the material published. Topics covered include: UFOs, cryptozoology,
ghosts, archeology and ancient structures as well as accounts
of mystic and psychic experiences.
Atlantis
Rising
I was initially skeptical about this magazine primarily due to
its “new age” sounding name, but this magazine actually
contains a wealth of useful information. The magazine covers ancient
mysteries, future science and unexplained anomalies. There is
also a monthly article on forbidden archeology by Michael Cremo.
Atlantis Rising is published bi-monthly in color on newsprint
paper.
Traveling, Camping and Hiking: Books
The
Backpacker’s Handbook & The
Advanced Backpacker
Chris Townsend
Both of these books contain a wealth of information for anyone
wishing to do serious backpacking, travel or exploring. Chris
covers a wide range of topics, including: preparation, equipment
selection, food and cooking, comfort and safety, and traveling
abroad. The two books go well together and cover everything from
the basics for first-timers to tips for the experienced backpacker.
Beyond
Backpacking
Ray Jardine
This is the definitive book on ultra light backpacking. Before
going ultra light became “cool,” Ray was already practicing
and perfecting many of the techniques hikers use today to lighten
their loads. Everything topic Ray covers is discussed with an
eye towards removing excess weight wherever possible. The book
covers equipment selection, hiking considerations, obstacles,
dealing with longer journeys and the basics. He also includes
some very useful sections on making your own gear and different
knots a hiker should know. This is essential reading for anyone
interested in lightening their load when traveling.
Traveling, Camping and Hiking: Magazines
Backpacker
This monthly magazine includes gear reviews, hiking routes, tips
and stories for making you a better hiker and traveler. They also
publish a yearly Gear Guide that includes very comprehensive listings
of tents, packs, boots, sleeping bags, cookware, stoves, trekking
poles and high tech gear.
Outside
Outside covers a wide range of outdoor activities, but there is
a lot of good information for backpackers and travelers. They
also publish a yearly Buyer’s Guide that isn’t as
comprehensive as Backpacker’s, but is nonetheless useful
and covers a wide range of gear.
