A History of the World in 47 borders: Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps

20.50

People have been drawing lines on maps for as long as there have been maps to draw on. Sometimes rooted in physical geography, sometimes entirely arbitrary, these lines might often have looked very different if a war or treaty or the decisions of a handful of tired Europeans had gone a different way. By telling the stories of these borders, we can learn a lot about how political identities are shaped, why the world looks the way it does – and about human folly. From the Roman attempts to define the boundaries of civilisation, to the secret British-French agreement to carve up the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, to the reason why landlocked Bolivia still maintains a navy, this is a fascinating, witty and surprising look at the history of the world told through its borders.

In stock

 

Check the box below to add a card to the basket. Please use ‘Notes’ to indicate occasion and your message

Do you feel this product is perfect for a friend or a loved one? You can buy a gift card for this item! Gift this product

Ships in 24h

Across Ireland

Click & Collect

Free in Wicklow

Easy returns

Within 30 days

Secure checkout

Stripe protected

'Fascinating and hugely entertaining' MARINA HYDE

'By turns surprising, funny, bleak, ridiculous, or all four of those at once' GIDEON DEFOE

People have been drawing lines on maps for as long as there have been maps to draw on. Sometimes rooted in physical geography, sometimes entirely arbitrary, these lines might often have looked very different if a war or treaty or the decisions of a handful of tired Europeans had gone a different way. By telling the stories of these borders, we can learn a lot about how political identities are shaped, why the world looks the way it does - and about human folly.

From the Roman attempts to define the boundaries of civilisation, to the secret British-French agreement to carve up the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, to the reason why landlocked Bolivia still maintains a navy, this is a fascinating, witty and surprising look at the history of the world told through its borders.

Additional information

Weight801 g
Dimensions23.4 × 15.3 cm
Book_author

Elledge, Jonn

Publisher

Wildfire

Imprint

Wildfire

Cover

Paperback

Pages

368

Language

English

Edition

Export ed

Dewey

320.12 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K

You may also like

Readers also bought