Legendary Islands of the Atlantic: A Study of Medieval Geography

The book opens a window onto the way medieval scholars and sailors imagined the far‑west, where islands like the Hesperides, the Gorgades and the fabled Sargasso Sea first appeared on parchment. Drawing on ancient testimonies—from Phoenician voyages and Greek myth to biblical accounts of the Tharshish fleet—the author weaves a narrative that blurs the line between fact and legend. Richly illustrated with reproductions of maps ranging from 14th‑century Catalan charts to Ortelius’s 16th‑century world maps, each plate invites the ear to picture a world that was still being discovered.

Through careful examination of these cartographic sources, the study traces how ideas of distant lands traveled across cultures and centuries, influencing explorers from the medieval period to the age of discovery. The analysis highlights the role of mythic storytelling in shaping early geography, while also revealing the growing sophistication of navigation that eventually made such voyages possible. Listeners are taken on a scholarly yet vivid tour of the Atlantic’s legendary geography, uncovering the roots of a timeless fascination with islands that may never have existed.