{"product_id":"9780008393892","title":"An Atlas of Extinct Countries: The Remarkable (and Occasionally Ridiculous) Stories of 48 Nations that Fell off the Map","description":"\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrisoners of Geography\u003c\/em\u003e meets Bill Bryson: a funny, fascinating, beautifully illustrated – and timely – history of countries that, for myriad and often ludicrous reasons, no longer exist.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cem\u003e‘Countries are just daft stories we tell each other. They’re all equally implausible once you get up close’\u003c\/em\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCountries 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. Occasionally they explode violently. A few slip away almost unnoticed. Often the cause of death is either ‘got too greedy’ or ‘Napoleon turned up’. Now and then they just hold a referendum and vote themselves out of existence.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis is an atlas of nations that fell off the map. The polite way of writing an obituary is: dwell on the good bits, gloss over the embarrassing stuff. This book fails to do that. And that is mainly because most of these dead nations (and a lot of the ones that are still alive) are so weird or borderline nonsensical that it’s impossible to skip the embarrassing stuff.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe life stories of the sadly deceased involve a catalogue of chancers, racists, racist chancers, conmen, madmen, people trying to get out of paying tax, mistakes, lies, stupid schemes and General Idiocy. Because of this – and because treating nation states with too much respect is the entire problem with pretty much everything – these accounts are not fussed about adding to all the earnest flag saluting in the world, however nice some of the flags are.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGideon Defoe's AN ATLAS OF EXTINCT COUNTRIES is a best form of humour, presenting a unique topic of extinct nations through a series of essays and maps. This cultural atlas is a top reference for those interested in the regional and ethnic intricacies of these countries.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Travis Elborough (Through The Looking Glasses), Gchq (The GCHQ Puzzle Book), Randall Munroe (What If?), Matt Parker (Humble Pi), and Shaggingworld (F*ck Yourself Fit).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gideon Defoe, Read by Ben Allen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46889117941909,"sku":"9780008393892","price":22.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9780008393892_036bf1b5-5159-45cf-ade2-4ac6d32240c5.jpg?v=1776888231","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780008393892","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}