Dictionary of Imaginary Places - Softcover

Manguel, Alberto; Guadalupi, Gianni

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0156260549 ISBN 13: 9780156260541

Publisher: Harcourt, 1989

Synopsis

From Atlantis to Xanadu and beyond, this Baedeker of make-believe takes readers on a tour of more 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 more 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.

About this title

Review

“A book no self-respecting dreamer should be without."—The Economist
“Presented with mock solemnity and written with grace and wit; a pleasure to read."—Newsweek
“A very satisfying work . . . witty and stylish."—The New York Times
A book no self-respecting dreamer should be without." The Economist
Presented with mock solemnity and written with grace and wit; a pleasure to read." Newsweek
A very satisfying work . . . witty and stylish." The New York Times
"

"A book no self-respecting dreamer should be without."--The Economist
"Presented with mock solemnity and written with grace and wit; a pleasure to read."--Newsweek
"A very satisfying work . . . witty and stylish."--The New York Times

About the Author

Alberto Manguel (born 1948 in Buenos Aires) is a Canadian Argentine-born writer, translator, and editor. He is the author of numerous non-fiction books such as The Dictionary of Imaginary Places (co-written with Gianni Guadalupi in 1980) and A History of Reading (1996) The Library at Night (2007) and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey: A Biography (2008), and novels such as News From a Foreign Country Came (1991). Though almost all of Manguel's books were written in English, two of his novels (El regreso and Todos los hombres son mentirosos) were written in Spanish and have not yet been published in English. Manguel has also written film criticism such as Bride of Frankenstein (1997) and collections of essays such as Into the Looking Glass Wood (1998).

For over twenty years, Manguel has edited a number of literary anthologies on a variety of themes or genres ranging from erotica and gay stories to fantastic literature and mysteries.

^Eric Beddows illustrated the Zoom series, for which he has twice won Canada's Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award; the Newbery-winning Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, and Shadow Play, both by Paul Fleischman. He lives in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. 

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt
• Publication date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0156260549
• ISBN 13: 9780156260541
• Binding: Paperback