Editors Reads Verdict
Adams brings the same wit and rigour as Turn Right at Machu Picchu to the Atlantis myth — taking the scholarly arguments seriously while keeping a healthy scepticism. Unexpectedly compelling.
What We Loved
- Consistently witty and readable
- The scholarly debates are genuinely interesting
- Adams's self-deprecating voice is engaging
Minor Drawbacks
- Less emotionally engaging than Machu Picchu
- The conclusion is necessarily inconclusive
Key Takeaways
- → The persistence of the Atlantis myth and why it matters
- → The boundary between legitimate archaeology and pseudoscience
- → The Mediterranean world that Plato was drawing on
| Author | Mark Adams |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Dutton |
| Pages | 304 |
| Published | January 1, 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Travel, Non-Fiction, History |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Best For | Readers of Turn Right at Machu Picchu and adventure non-fiction |
Mark Adams follows the same formula that worked in Turn Right at Machu Picchu — an enthusiastic amateur investigates a historical mystery, dragging readers through the scholarship and the scenery simultaneously — and applies it to the longest-running unsolved case in Western civilisation: the lost city of Atlantis.
Plato described Atlantis in two dialogues written around 360 BC — a city-state of enormous wealth and military power that was destroyed by the gods and sunk beneath the ocean in a single day and night. Since then, thousands of theories have located it in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Antarctica, and at various points underwater off the coasts of a dozen different countries. Adams interviews the serious scholars and the enthusiasts, visits the proposed sites, and attempts to separate the plausible from the impossible.
The result is both funnier and more intellectually serious than the subject might suggest. The scholars who study the Atlantis problem are not all cranks; there are genuine debates about what Plato was drawing on, what ancient knowledge he might have encoded, and what the myth tells us about Greek thought. Adams handles all of this with the same combination of rigour and self-deprecation that made Machu Picchu such enjoyable reading.
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Meet Me in Atlantis" about?
Mark Adams travels the world in search of the lost city of Atlantis — interviewing scholars, crackpots, archaeologists, and believers — in a witty and surprisingly serious investigation of one of history's most persistent myths.
Who should read "Meet Me in Atlantis"?
Readers of Turn Right at Machu Picchu and adventure non-fiction
What are the key takeaways from "Meet Me in Atlantis"?
The persistence of the Atlantis myth and why it matters The boundary between legitimate archaeology and pseudoscience The Mediterranean world that Plato was drawing on
Is "Meet Me in Atlantis" worth reading?
Adams brings the same wit and rigour as Turn Right at Machu Picchu to the Atlantis myth — taking the scholarly arguments seriously while keeping a healthy scepticism. Unexpectedly compelling.
Ready to Read Meet Me in Atlantis?
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