In Four Lost Cities, acclaimed science journalist Annalee Newitz takes readers on an entertaining and mind-bending adventure into the deep history of urban life. Investigating across the centuries and around the world, Newitz explores the rise and fall of four ancient cities. Four Lost Cities is a journey into the forgotten past, but, foreseeing a future in which the majority of people on Earth will be living in cities, it may also reveal something of our own fate. While that classic action movie is fun, there are real-world stories too: lost cities and lost civilizations rumored, discovered, and uncovered. The world of archaeology has experienced true moments like this, whether it be explorers disappearing under mysterious circumstances or a few adventurers making an archaeological discovery that shifts history altogether. Unfortunately, the world of adventure and exploration writing seems to often fall to white authors, often men, and I was largely unable to find nonfiction books on lost cities and lost civilizations by women, gender-nonconforming writers, and authors of color. If you find any such titles, please let me know. I am particularly invested in finding such books, as these lost places and mysteries are most often set in places where the majority of the population is non-white, and in places that have been colonized or “discovered” by white men. There are many books out there, too, that feature imperialist or racist outlooks — and even books that have been partially recanted because the author realized it wasn’t their story to tell. I am looking forward with anticipation to the growth of this genre into a more interesting, complex, diverse genre. Below are eight books about lost cities and lost civilizations that are exciting, that will charge your wanderlust, that will make you want to explore, discover, and dig deeper into the histories you may know little about.
