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Lost

Amelia Earhart's Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life

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Hardcover
6.23"W x 9.25"H x 1.16"D   | 18 oz | 20 per carton
On sale Mar 03, 2026 | 320 Pages | 9781426222542

Unravel one of history's greatest mysteries in this spellbinding narrative, filled with compelling images, that explores the three leading theories of Amelia Earhart’s tragic disappearance.

When Amelia Earhart’s plane disappeared in 1937, the clues poured in, attracting wild conspiracies about her tragic fate.

In Lost, former National Geographic reporter Rachel Hartigan delves into Earhart’s disappearance, introducing a host of eccentric characters who have become obsessed with finding the truth. Did the great aviator crash land near the Marshall Islands, only to be captured by Japanese soldiers? Did she manage to land on Nikumaroro Island but die of injury or starvation? Or did she run out of fuel and crash into the ocean?

Interspersed with the search for Earhart is the story of her extraordinary life: her unstable childhood, her itinerant early career, and how a PR-savvy publisher transformed her into an aviation icon and became her husband in an unconventional marriage. 

In the spirit of nonfiction blockbusters like The Lost City of Z, Hartigan draws us into the world of Earhart's devotees and unspools a beguiling tale. The theories lead Hartigan from the pilot's birthplace of Atchison, Kansas to an expedition on a remote Pacific Island, where forensic dogs attempt to recover a potential sample of Earhart’s DNA.

As tantilizing new evidence mounts, Hartigan and her fellow investigators descend deeper into a world of conspiracy and obsession. Through its irresistible characters, prodigious research, and haunting images, Lost reveals not just why we remember Amelia Earhart as a trailblazer and adventurer, but why unsolved mysteries keep us forever searching for answers.
RACHEL HARTIGAN has written about everything from the genetics of persimmon trees to the long road to women’s suffrage for National Geographic, where she worked as a writer, reporter, and editor from 2012 to 2024. A former editor of the Washington Post’s Book World, she also covered education and culture for U.S. News & World Report. Her stories about the 2017 and 2019 National Geographic–funded expeditions to Nikumaroro Island each generated more than a million unique views.
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A Must-Read Book of 2026 by Town & Country:
"Way better than any internet search is Lost, from former National Geographic reporter Rachel Hartigan. In this fascinating reported book, Hartigan delves into Earhart’s disappearance and the theories that surround what happened to her—plus, why we care so much, nearly a century later."

About

Unravel one of history's greatest mysteries in this spellbinding narrative, filled with compelling images, that explores the three leading theories of Amelia Earhart’s tragic disappearance.

When Amelia Earhart’s plane disappeared in 1937, the clues poured in, attracting wild conspiracies about her tragic fate.

In Lost, former National Geographic reporter Rachel Hartigan delves into Earhart’s disappearance, introducing a host of eccentric characters who have become obsessed with finding the truth. Did the great aviator crash land near the Marshall Islands, only to be captured by Japanese soldiers? Did she manage to land on Nikumaroro Island but die of injury or starvation? Or did she run out of fuel and crash into the ocean?

Interspersed with the search for Earhart is the story of her extraordinary life: her unstable childhood, her itinerant early career, and how a PR-savvy publisher transformed her into an aviation icon and became her husband in an unconventional marriage. 

In the spirit of nonfiction blockbusters like The Lost City of Z, Hartigan draws us into the world of Earhart's devotees and unspools a beguiling tale. The theories lead Hartigan from the pilot's birthplace of Atchison, Kansas to an expedition on a remote Pacific Island, where forensic dogs attempt to recover a potential sample of Earhart’s DNA.

As tantilizing new evidence mounts, Hartigan and her fellow investigators descend deeper into a world of conspiracy and obsession. Through its irresistible characters, prodigious research, and haunting images, Lost reveals not just why we remember Amelia Earhart as a trailblazer and adventurer, but why unsolved mysteries keep us forever searching for answers.

Creators

RACHEL HARTIGAN has written about everything from the genetics of persimmon trees to the long road to women’s suffrage for National Geographic, where she worked as a writer, reporter, and editor from 2012 to 2024. A former editor of the Washington Post’s Book World, she also covered education and culture for U.S. News & World Report. Her stories about the 2017 and 2019 National Geographic–funded expeditions to Nikumaroro Island each generated more than a million unique views.

Photos

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Praise

A Must-Read Book of 2026 by Town & Country:
"Way better than any internet search is Lost, from former National Geographic reporter Rachel Hartigan. In this fascinating reported book, Hartigan delves into Earhart’s disappearance and the theories that surround what happened to her—plus, why we care so much, nearly a century later."
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