Lost Treasure of the Inca by Peter Lourie, Peter Lourie (Photographer)

Children's Literature

For over 400 years, treasure seekers have hunted in vain for one of the biggest treasures in the world, the lost gold of the Incas, hidden from the Spanish conquistadors, in the mysterious, cloud-filled Llanganatis Mountains of Ecuador. This fascinating, photo-essay combines many color and black-and-white photos with a lively first person text, to recount the author's adventures as, with the help of three modern Inca guides, he travels through this difficult, dangerous terrain in search of treasure and history. Although Lourie does not actually find the treasure, he finds the even more valuable treasure--knowledge and appreciation for the Inca people and culture of both the past and present, and their harsh, but beautiful environment. This book should appeal to a wide range of readers. An index, maps and glossary are included. 1999, Boyds Mills, Ages 10 up, $18.95. Reviewer: Gisela Jernigan

Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Lourie has taken his readers along on his water journeys up the Amazon, down the Hudson, along the Yukon and the Rio Grande, and through the Erie Canal and that "river of grass," the Everglades. Here, in a decided change, he relates how years ago he was infected with a serious case of gold fever. Lured by legends surrounding a portion of Atahualpa's ransom spirited away from the gold-greedy Spaniards, Lourie, in company with a local crew, entered the remote, rugged Llanganati Mountains of Peru-a craggy wilderness covered with thick cloud forest, quaking bogs, and treacherous fogs, where altitude sickness sapped his energy. Needless to say, the rumored 750 tons of worked gold still lies (if it truly exists) concealed in the Llanganatis. A revisit to the locale years later prompted this fascinating book, an Indiana Jones-mix of history, lost treasure, and visions of wealth. The readable text is accompanied by color photos on almost every page. Team this with Tim Wood's pictorial The Incas (Viking, 1996) and Johan Reinhard's remarkable Discovering the Inca Ice Maiden (National Geographic, 1998) for a marvelous look at a vanished civilization.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

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