Book 4: Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms by Bob Curran

A book on legendary places from folklore and literature. It featured the regulars like Atlantis, Lemuria, El Dorado, and the like, but I was surprised at how much was here that I hadn't heard of. The Green Children, for example, was an interesting bit of folklore about an underground city, and as a native Alabamian I found the information about Madoc, founder the legendary Welsh kingdom in Mobile, fascinating. I never knew that Irem, the dark city of Lovecraft's tales, had roots in Islamic folklore either. Lots of fun tidbits here, and the informative yet not-too-credulous tone of the author, an Irish historian, struck just the right chord for me. I only would've liked it better if it went a bit more in-depth on certain legends, but overall it's a nice quick overview for the casual reader.