Atlas of the Unexpected is a journey to far-off lands, obscure discoveries and unimaginable locations, with 45 beautiful, unique maps and evocative photography.   

Take an armchair voyage to places both infamous and unknown that have, often by chance or by haphazard means, been destinations of discovery that make up our world today. Learn about the accidental discovery or Vaseline. Set foot on the aptly named Just Enough Room Island. Chart the royal romance that led shipwrecked lovers to discover the purple rock of Madeira. Follow in the footsteps of a stray goat who led its keeper to uncover lost ancient biblical scrolls. These are the world’s most wondrous, improbable and – most of all – unexpected of places.

“Travis Elborough writes about a wide range of subjects with originality, learning and charm. Atlas of the Unexpected...is seductively beautiful: an inspiring, dream-inducing guide to almost four dozen “haphazard discoveries, chance places and unimaginable destinations”..." David Kynaston, New Statesman – ‘best books of 2018’ 

Also in the Unexpected Atlas series: Atlas of Untamed Places, Atlas of Improbable Places, Atlas of Vanishing Places.

Travis Elborough is an author and social commentator. His books include A Traveller’s Year, A London Year, The Long-Player Goodbye, Being A Writer and A Walk in the Park: The Life and Times of a People’s Institution. Travis is a regular contributor to Radio 4 and the Guardian, and has penned articles on all aspects of travel and culture, from pirates in the Caribbean to donkeys at the British seaside. He has written for the Times, Sunday Times, New Statesman, BBC History Magazine and Kinfolk among others.

Accidental Discoveries

• Madeira Archipelago, Atlantic Ocean
• Derinkuyu Underground City, Cappadocia, Turkey
• Vaseline,Titusville, Pennsylvania, USA
• The Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran, Israel
• Cahokia Mounds, Illinois, USA
• Pompeii, Naples, Italy
• Fly Geyser, Nevada, USA
• Galápagos Island, Pacific Ocean

 
Strange Roots

• Georgia Colony, Savannah, Georgia, USA
• Chemainus, Vancouver Island, Canada
• Buzludzha Monument, Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria
• Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa
• Freshkills Park, New York City, USA
• Fort House, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland
• Chess City, Elista, Kalmykia, Russia
• Fordlândia, Pará, Brazil
• Gibsonton, Florida, USA
• Nowa Huta, Kraków, Poland

 
Haphazard Destinations

• Neft Daslari, Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan
• Manshiyat Naser, Cairo, Egypt
• Caleta Tortel, Capitán Prat Province, Chile
• Jaisalmer Fort, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
• Just Room Enough Island, St Lawrence River, New York, USA
• Spiegelhalter Jewellers, London, UK
• Monemvasia, Laconia, Greece
• Uros Floating Islands, Lake Titicaca, Puno, Peru
• Cliff of Bandiagara, Mopti, Mali
• Korowai Tree Houses, Kia, Indonesia