AN ATLAS OF EXTINCT COUNTRIES (2021)

An Atlas of Extinct Countries by Gideon Defoe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"This is an atlas of 48 nations that fell off the map." Some lasted a day or two and others survived for a thousand years until meeting their demise. Mixing his sense of the absurd with hilarious social commentary, Gideon Defoe delivers to the reader the basics of these territories and small countries: dates in existence; population; cause of death; and where the nation ended up. Then he goes after the conmen, racists, madmen, and schemers who caused all the problems and describes their flawed plans.

You don't have to read this straight through, although I enjoyed it so much I just kept reading. So many rabbit holes to go down. My first was Lola Montez in The Kingdom of Bavaria (1805-1918). My attention was also caught by a story about Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman who dreamed all his life of visiting People's Republic of Tannu Tuva's (1921-44) capital Kyzyl. After trying to get permission for years from the USSR, which annexed the country in 1944, a letter granting permission finally arrived two days after his death! Personally, I always hoped to sail to Rapa Nui/Easter Island (1200-1888) but that's not going to happen either. This charming book can take you traveling the world and keep you busy researching for days.

Even though there's a grown-up bibliography, this is not a reference book. It is a conversation starter and a perfect gift. Definitely a book worthy of any history enthusiast! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Thanks to the author, Europa Editions / NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Europa Editions  (June 8, 2021)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 0008393850
ISBN-13 : 978-0008393854

Gideon Defoe is a British writer and author of The Pirates!, a series of comedy books following a group of pirates on their adventures.

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