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A review by lynguy1
An Atlas of Extinct Countries by Gideon Defoe
2.0
An Atlas of Extinct Countries by Gideon Defoe gives a small amount of information about 48 nations that do not exist today. Categorizing this book as historical humor or geography is probably most appropriate.
The way the book was organized did not work well for me. It is organized by how the country was founded (person, mistake, lies, etc.). It would have flowed better for me if it had been organized by region and then in chronological order. It only includes 48 nations and does not intend to be comprehensive. Highlighting con men, racists, and mistakes, the light-hearted approach used by the author did not work for me. Instead, it was often sad or worse.
The text entries for each country are a brief two or three pages, but do include a map, and the country they are now part of as well as some interesting bits about its founding, life, and demise. Some existed for hundreds of years while others existed for a day. There is a bibliography at the end as well as information on selected flags and anthems.
Overall, this was interesting, but felt disorganized.
Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
The way the book was organized did not work well for me. It is organized by how the country was founded (person, mistake, lies, etc.). It would have flowed better for me if it had been organized by region and then in chronological order. It only includes 48 nations and does not intend to be comprehensive. Highlighting con men, racists, and mistakes, the light-hearted approach used by the author did not work for me. Instead, it was often sad or worse.
The text entries for each country are a brief two or three pages, but do include a map, and the country they are now part of as well as some interesting bits about its founding, life, and demise. Some existed for hundreds of years while others existed for a day. There is a bibliography at the end as well as information on selected flags and anthems.
Overall, this was interesting, but felt disorganized.
Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.