Gideon Defoe

Prisoners of Geography meets Bill Bryson: a funny, fascinating, beautifully illustrated – and timely – history of countries that, for myriad and often ludicrous reasons, no longer exist. ‘Countries are just daft stories we tell each other. They’re all equally implausible once you get up close’ Countries die. Sometimes it’s murder, sometimes it’s by accident, and sometimes it’s because they...

The remarkable (and occasionally ridiculous) stories of 48 nations that fell off the map. Countries are just daft stories we tell each other. They're all equally implausible once you get up close. Countries die. Sometimes it's murder, sometimes it's by accident, and sometimes it's because they were so ludicrous they didn't deserve to exist in the first place. An Atlas...