The Obscure World In the Palm of Your Hand

The Atlas Obscurra Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid – Dylan Thuras and Rosemary Mosco (Workman Publishing)

Atlas Obscurra: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders – Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras, and Ella Morton (Workman Publishing)

A year or so ago I was doing some research for a book, and when it came to the book’s setting/geography, I realized I was lacking the basic knowledge I needed to properly tell the story. So, I did what has become natural and I turned to Google. The results I received to my queries did not to erase my information deficit, so I decide to go old school and round up an atlas from a local used book store.

There is just something about opening the heavy book and over-sized pages of an atlas that can transport you to the locale you are researching. One of my first thoughts was how kids raised in the era of the internet would never learn this handy research skill of delving into the colorful pages and dense type of a good atlas. Shortly after I started thumbing through the atlas, I came across Atlas Obscurra: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders, by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras, and Ella Morton, in a book store, completely oblivious to the website that launched this phenomenon.

Packed with tales, photos and maps on 700 strange and curious locales and things that populate the world out there, Atlas Obscurra, is a treasure trove of out-there stuff. To me, this fascinating blend of the bizarre is just the thing to capture the imagination of even the most jaded of web surfers. Instead of simply doling out pictures and information Atlas Obscurra, fuels the imagination and fires a long-dormant sense of adventure.

Now the perfect companion to the original, comes in the form of The Atlas Obscurra Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid. Once again Dylan Thuras helms the project, teamed with Rosemary Mosco. This brightly illustrated (by Joy Ang) collection is a perfect keeper to fire the interest of any explorer, young and old alike.

The Atlas Obscurra Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid, circles the globe, touching on every continent and expounding on the virtues of caves and the creepy crawlies that in habit them, bodies of water and land masses of every shape and size. This is the perfect appetizer to feed the imagination of the would-be explorer. I love the fact that Thuras and Mosco include a packing list for the well-prepared adventurer and don’t forget to pack a sack of goat treats, “just in case you run into some adorable, hungry goats…” Hey, you never know.

Maybe I’m getting old or showcasing my old school tendencies, but think these books are just what we are missing out on in today’s all too fast paced world; rather than being spoon fed someone else’s answers we are served up something to stoke our imagination, fire our curiosity and our own search for the answers.