The Greatest Treasure-Hunting Stories Ever Told; Twenty-One Unforgettable Tales of Discovery

by Edited by Charles Elliott

• ISBN13: 9781585746835
• ISBN10: 1585746835
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2003-07-01
• Publisher: The Lyons Press

Summary

"There is something about a treasure," says Joseph Conrad inNostromo, "that fastens on a man's mind." And, yes, there is something about the subject of treasure hunting that continues to fascinate us. One need only browse the Web to discover a whole netherworld of treasure-hunting magazines, metal-detector clubs, and lost-mine information exchanges that apparently engage the funds and spare time of thousands of hopefuls. But digging up tin cans and discarded horseshoes or crashing through the Superstitions in a "recreational vehicle" somehow goes against the romantic grain. Charles Elliott recaptures the essential romance of the search in this collection of classic stories. Many are true--or purport to be. They encompass all the great themes--obsession, tragedy, danger, crime, frustration, terrible physical challenge, success and disappointment. They take place under the sea, in jungles, on desert islands, even in the attics of old houses. The treasure itself is not always gold, silver, and diamonds--it may be lost documents, or the solution to a historical puzzle, or an unexpected archaeological discovery. What is common to them all is the excitement of the chase and thepossibility--irrational, perhaps, but unavoidable--that a fabulous treasure really is there for the finding. Sholem Aleichem Richard D. Altick George Borrow H. A. Bryden Arthur L. Campa Howard Carter Hedley A. Chilvers Bernal Diaz del Castillo J. Frank Dobie P. H. Fawcett H. Rider Haggard Austen Henry Layard Pierre de Lotil Andreacute; Malraux Cotton Mather Samuel Pepys Edgar Allan Poe Jean Rivoire M. Aurel Stein Robert St. Enuit John L. Stephens Robert Louis Stevenson B. Traven Jules Verne

Author Biography

CHARLES ELLIOTT is always ready to depart for the Old West in search of a lost mine. He has written The Potting-Shed Papers (page 175), The Transplanted Gardener (page 176), and The Gap in the Hedge (page 173). He has also edited The Quotable Gardener (page 137) and The Greatest Cat Stories Ever Told (page 146).

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION	vii
Charles Elliott
TREASURE IN A TEMPLE	1	(14)
André Malraux
THE LOST SAN SABA MINE	15	(30)
J. Frank Dobie
THE GOLD BUG	45	(38)
Edgar Allan Poe
THE DISCOVERY OF NINEVER	83	(6)
Austen Henry Layard
BENEDICT MOL AND THE SCHATZ OF COMPOSTELLA	89	(18)
George Borrow
THE TOMB OF TUT-ANKH-AMEN	107	(10)
Howard Carter
A SEARCH IN THE TOWER	117	(4)
Samuel Pepys
CAPTAIN PHIPS AND THE SPANISH WRECK	121	(8)
Cotton Mather
THE TUN-HUANG TREASURE	129	(22)
M. Aurel Stein
UNDER VIGO BAY	151	(6)
Jules Verne
TREASURE ISLAND	157	(12)
Robert Louis Stevenson
EXPLORATION FAWCETT	169	(14)
P. H. Fawcett
THE TREASURE	183	(10)
Sholem Aleichem
A PAINTED STONE	193	(8)
John L. Stephens
SOLOMON'S TREASURE CHAMBER	201	(12)
H. Rider Haggard
MONTEZUMA'S GOLD	213	(10)
Bernal Diaz del Castillo
THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE	223	(8)
B. Traven
THE LOST MAGATO TRAIL, THE SKELETON, AND THE DIAMOND BAGS	231	(14)
Hedley A. Chilvers
THE SALVAGE OF THE LAURENTIC TREASURE	245	(10)
Pierre de Lotil and Jean Rivoire
THE TREASURE OF "EL CHATO" NEVAREZ	255	(16)
Arthur L. Campa
THE SECRET OF THE EBONY CABINET	271	(20)
Richard D. Altick
PERMISSION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	291