The Museum of Lost Things: True Tales of Fabled Treasures, Legendary Cities, and Mythical Creatures That Vanished from History by Kean, Sam

Discover the astonishing story of the world's greatest lost treasures in this enthralling narrative by a writer with "the anecdotal flourishes of Oliver Sacks and the populist accessibility of Malcolm Gladwell." (Entertainment Weekly)

Spanning a million years of history, the mysteries in these pages include fabled relics, legendary cities, mythical species, and undeciphered languages that have bedeviled seekers for centuries.

Perhaps the single most common theme across all of history is loss. The loss of lands, loss of sacred objects, loss of languages, of rights, of life--the past groans with disappearances of all kinds. This enthralling narrative collects the most spellbinding tales of these experiences and weaves them into a thoughtful meditation on what it all means across the sweep of human history and the scope of human lives, including:

• The long-lost city of Troy
• The hidden tomb of Genghis Khan
• The destruction of the fabled library of Alexandria
• The near-destruction of the Mona Lisa and other art
• The decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs
• The extinction--and potential resurrection--of dodos, mammoths, and other iconic species

Provocative, surprising, and above all entertaining, this globe-trotting narrative acknowledges the sheer scale of humanity's losses, celebrates the treasures we have managed to retain, and reveals why they continue to captivate us centuries later.

Author: Sam Kean
Publisher: National Geographic Society
Published: 09/15/2026
Pages: 400
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.60d
ISBN: 9781426223860

About the Author
Sam Kean is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books at the intersection of science and history, including The Disappearing Spoon and Dinner with King Tut. His writing has appeared in National Geographic, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic. His work has also been featured on Radiolab, Science Friday, and NPR's All Things Considered. His podcast, The Disappearing Spoon, debuted at #1 on the iTunes science charts. A three-time finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing award, he lives in Washington, D.C.