Lost Cities of China, Central Asia and India (The Lost City Series)

Rating:
Summary: who's the archeologist?
Review: The book makes a great read, same as DHC's other books of the "Lost Cities" series. Very entertaining, thought provoking, and well written. One thing though: I don't get why the author keeps calling himself "a rogue archeologist": someone has to explain to him what archeologists do. DHC is no archeologist, whatever he might think; he's a traveler, a gossip gatherer, and a free spirit, but all this has little to do with archeology. I enjoyed his open-mindedness, and the relativism with which he judges most of the theories and hypotheses considered. Going through his whole opus, I can't help noticing that this writer is a really great guy, and that his travel companions and friends must have been lucky to have met him, but archeologist? Please, give me a break. And use some proofreader, for the next edition.

Rating:
Summary: More Travel Log than Archaelolgy
Review: The title says this book is about Lost Cities, but it is really about the authors travels through Asia and the Middle East in the late 1970's. There is a fair amount of information about so-called Lost Cities sprinkled here and there through out the narrative, but this comes from sources other than the authors travels as is evidenced by the extensive bibliography (4 pages!). One annoying feature of this book is that it has some wonderful B&W pictures that are completely out of sequence with the narrative. As a travel log it is an excellent window to other cultures and philosophies, but it is certainly not archaeology. David Hatcher Childress may be a legitamte Archaeologist, but you certainly couldn't tell it from this book. I would think twice about purchaseing any of the authors other books, based on this one.

Rating:
Summary: entertaining and inspiring
Review: This book offers a unique blend of travel writing, history, and theoretics. I enjoyed David Hatcher Childress' accounts of his travels and found several suggested theories of ancient history plausible while others humorous. This book is for the traveler at heart and the person interested in the possibilities of the past!

Rating:
Summary: entertaining and inspiring
Review: This book offers a unique blend of travel writing, history, and theoretics. I enjoyed David Hatcher Childress' accounts of his travels and found several suggested theories of ancient history plausible while others humorous. This book is for the traveler at heart and the person interested in the possibilities of the past!