The Coasts of Illusion
In The Coasts of Illusion, Clark B. Firestone charts the restless dreams and distortions that have shaped centuries of travel writing, revealing how the impulse to explore has always been entwined with the impulse to imagine. His study moves deftly between the factual and the fantastical, uncovering how tales of golden cities, monstrous creatures, and enchanted isles were less betrayals of truth than expressions of a deeper human longing — for wonder, for conquest, for meaning. In tracing these invented geographies, Firestone invites us to see exploration not merely as the mapping of distant lands, but as an enduring act of storytelling, where the line between discovery and desire is forever blurred.
In The Coasts of Illusion, Clark B. Firestone charts the restless dreams and distortions that have shaped centuries of travel writing, revealing how the impulse to explore has always been entwined with the impulse to imagine. His study moves deftly between the factual and the fantastical, uncovering how tales of golden cities, monstrous creatures, and enchanted isles were less betrayals of truth than expressions of a deeper human longing — for wonder, for conquest, for meaning. In tracing these invented geographies, Firestone invites us to see exploration not merely as the mapping of distant lands, but as an enduring act of storytelling, where the line between discovery and desire is forever blurred.
In The Coasts of Illusion, Clark B. Firestone charts the restless dreams and distortions that have shaped centuries of travel writing, revealing how the impulse to explore has always been entwined with the impulse to imagine. His study moves deftly between the factual and the fantastical, uncovering how tales of golden cities, monstrous creatures, and enchanted isles were less betrayals of truth than expressions of a deeper human longing — for wonder, for conquest, for meaning. In tracing these invented geographies, Firestone invites us to see exploration not merely as the mapping of distant lands, but as an enduring act of storytelling, where the line between discovery and desire is forever blurred.