Synopses & Reviews
Neither an occult book nor a work of fantasy, this 1882 classic offers an erudite blend of evidence from geologic, oceanographic, and anthropologic studies and remains a captivating work of enthusiasm and imaginative thought. 128 illustrations. Introduction by E. F. Bleiler.
Synopsis
The great classic of Atlantis, this book more than any other established the existence of this lost continent for the modern world. Attracting hundreds of thousands of readers and stimulating vast debate, it influenced generations of people including countless scientists who went on to do serious work in their fields, and numerous science-fiction writers. It is a measure of the power of the Atlantis myth that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, the idea of a submerged Atlantic Ocean continent remains vigorous today, long after Donnelly's work first appeared.
A lawyer and politician before he turned to writing, Ignatius Donnelly (1831 1901) spent many years amassing evidence for his book on Atlantis. Displaying an immense knowledge of Platonic and Biblical material, comparative archeological discoveries, folk traditions of deluges, and geological data supporting catastrophic volcanic activity, Donnelly staggered his readers with "facts" and overwhelmed them with his many brilliant arguments. Despite the many more recent discoveries that have proved many of his "facts" to be false, his arguments still dazzle and his central myth continues to fascinate. The highly appealing idea of a lost continent with a high civilization, one that was the mother of all other civilizations, is one of the most enduring of all human myths and shows no signs of disappearing.
A seminal work on Atlantis and a classic in the history of culture, this book is the starting point for anyone sincerely interested in the Atlantis myth. Still the most readable and imaginative of the books on Atlantis, it is a work that will long outlive most of the more recent accounts. As a study of the golden past, it is an enormously intriguing and enjoyable book."
Table of Contents
Contents Part I. The History of Atlantis I. The Purpose of the Book II. Plato's History of Atlantis III. The Probabilities of Plato's Story IV. Was such a Catastrophe Possible? V. The Testimony of the Sea VI. The Testimony of the Flora and Fauna Part II. The Deluge I. The Destruction of Atlantis described in the Deluge Legends II. The Deluge of the Bible III. The Deluge of the Chaldeans IV. The Deluge Legends of other Nations V. The Deluge Legends of America VI. Some Consideration of the Deluge Legends Part III. The Civilization of the Old World and New Compared I. Civilization an Inheritance II. The Identity of the Civilizations of the Old World and the New III. American Evidences of Intercourse with Europe or Atlantis