First edition. The first four volumes of this highly acclaimed Encyclopedia dealt almost exclusively with voyages and travels of indisputable historical reality. In this intriguing final volume the author turns his attention to the curious but compelling alternative literature of exploration; to imaginary, apocryphal and utopian journeys in fabulous lands; and to the abundance of invented, plagiarized and spoof narratives, many of which were accepted in their time as wholly credible but were nothing more than flights of the imagination, blatant deceptions, or monologues of doubtful authenticity. In 640 articles the author reviews over a thousand accounts of this nature from the earliest times to the present day, resolving their complex bibliographical histories and providing biographies of their often elusive authors, many of whom are correctly identified and documented for the first time. In addition he provides detailed histories of the many fantasy islands that once studded the charts but have since vanished in the mist. In a work designed to transcend all others in breadth and scholarship, copious indexes provide immediate reference to 2800 primary editions in all languages, 1800 authors and fictional travellers, and more than 600 imaginary place names. A further 6000 citations to secondary sources of study accompany the articles.