Lost City of Z by David Grann

I just finished a fantastic book. It was called The Lost City of Z and it was written by David Grann.

The book is a biography, a history lesson, an adventure tale and a travelogue all rolled into one. Seeing as how I love all of these things, I was completely captivated by this book.

Plus, it was so well-written that it was just a joy to read. I lost myself for hours and can't thank the author enough for pursuing the trail of this story.

The book is about a man named Colonel Percy Fawcett, a British man who lived from 1867 to 1925 (presumably that is, no one knows for sure when he died).

Fawcett is an explorer obsessed with the idea that the Amazon rainforest is hiding a secret from the rest of the world: the remains of a long-lost civilization and its once glorious city now buried beneath tangles vines and jungle ruins.

Fawcett makes many trips into the Amazon seeking these ruins and eventually his obsession is the end of him.

If you'd like to read an excerpt from the book, a short section was published on GoNomad a while back.

The Lost City of Z reminded me of another great read that came out not so long ago -- The River of Doubt by Candice Millard.

In fact, one of the characters from River of Doubt makes a few appearances in The Lost City of Z.

Both are great books and I recommend them!