(BPT) - Where is Alexander the Great really buried? What led to the disappearance of the dodo? And how much do we truly know about the Neolithic cultures that shaped the earliest chapters of human history?
These are just a few of the mysteries explored in Sam Kean's The Museum of Lost Things: True Tales of Fabled Treasures, Legendary Cities, and Mythical Creatures That Vanished From History.
For anyone drawn to historical mysteries, lost civilizations, extinct species, and the artifacts that help explain the past, Kean's latest book offers a smart, entertaining guide. The New York Times bestselling author and host of The Disappearing Spoon takes readers on a globe-spanning journey through vanished worlds, legendary treasures, forgotten knowledge, and the discoveries that continue to reshape what we know about human history.
What connects these stories, even across millions of years? Loss. Over 13 chapters, Kean explores a wide range of disappearances and rediscoveries, from missing tombs and lost cities to stolen art, ancient technology, vanished species, and entire bodies of knowledge erased by time.
The result is history writing that feels both deeply researched and highly accessible. Kean has a gift for blending big ideas with vivid detail, surprising context, and moments of humor that make the material feel alive. In the section on Leonardo da Vinci, for example, readers not only encounter the mystery of lost and recovered works, but also a more personal glimpse of the artist, including his habit of clashing with Michelangelo over Dante.
Among the many fascinating subjects covered in The Museum of Lost Things are:
The lost city of Troy
The hidden tomb of Genghis Khan
The destruction of the Library of Alexandria
The near loss of the Mona Lisa and other priceless works of art
The decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs
The extinction, and possible revival, of dodos, mammoths, and other iconic species
Along the way, readers will pick up plenty of unforgettable stories and surprising facts, including the creation of the Antikythera mechanism, often described as the oldest known analog computer, and the remarkable story of deciphering the Mayan language.
Why The Museum of Lost Things stands out
More than a collection of history stories, Kean's book explores how fragile human knowledge can be—and how much effort it takes to recover it. Archaeologists, historians, linguists, and scientists all appear in these pages as part of a larger story about curiosity, persistence, and the challenge of reconstructing the past from whatever survives.
That makes The Museum of Lost Things especially appealing for readers interested in archaeology, ancient history, lost artifacts, forgotten civilizations, and the enduring mysteries that still shape our understanding of the world. It's the kind of book that invites you to look backward—and then wonder what traces of our own era will remain for future generations.
If you're looking for a compelling history book about lost treasures, legendary cities, extinct animals, and the search for the past, The Museum of Lost Things is well worth adding to your reading list. Find it on Disney Books or wherever books are sold.
