An Atlas of Extinct Countries
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- Create Date：2021-05-04 09:52:22
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Gideon Defoe
- ISBN：0008393850
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Reviews
Ann
，
"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 p "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！I received an advanced copy of this book。 All opinions are my own。 #AnAtlasofExtinctCountries #NetGalley 。。。more
Luke
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A well-humoured look at the histories and legacies of forgotten and failed countries and nations throughout history。I enjoyed it for the most part but I would say the sense of humour is a little bit not to my taste。 I'm not asking that the whole book be an insufferably dry lecture， but some of the jokes just fall flat for me because I'm a miserable curmudgeon who won't smile。 A well-humoured look at the histories and legacies of forgotten and failed countries and nations throughout history。I enjoyed it for the most part but I would say the sense of humour is a little bit not to my taste。 I'm not asking that the whole book be an insufferably dry lecture， but some of the jokes just fall flat for me because I'm a miserable curmudgeon who won't smile。 。。。more
Darius Ostrowski
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“An Atlas of Extinct Countries” by Gideon Defoe is a very humorous look at countries which have popped up and disappeared throughout history， some for a few days and some for much， much longer。 We are introduced to 48 different countries which no longer exist – each country has a brief description， a hand drawn map， and a couple of pages describing how/why the country was founded and how/why the country disappeared。Those expecting a serious discussion about international relations， the concept o “An Atlas of Extinct Countries” by Gideon Defoe is a very humorous look at countries which have popped up and disappeared throughout history， some for a few days and some for much， much longer。 We are introduced to 48 different countries which no longer exist – each country has a brief description， a hand drawn map， and a couple of pages describing how/why the country was founded and how/why the country disappeared。Those expecting a serious discussion about international relations， the concept of statehood， or an in-depth history of fallen nations should look elsewhere。 A good majority of these stories involve conmen and/or some sort of scam or error。 With the possible exception of Yugoslavia， all of these stories involve shady dealings about places most of us have never heard of。Mr。 Defoe is a funny man， and I do appreciate his viewpoint on the ridiculousness of the concepts of a political country。 However， I was expecting a little more historical fact and a little less humor and slapstick。 An interesting read about the silliness of politics。I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Europa Editions / Europa Compass via NetGalley。 Thank you！ 。。。more
OutlawPoet
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To be fair， there are a few countries in this Atlas that never existed at all。 But whether they existed in reality or in one pompous man’s ambitious dreams， all are fascinating。This is a very readable – and very snarky – history of places and people that failed miserably。You can page through it to see what catches your attention， or read straight through， but every entry is definitely worth reading！The author is dry and funny and definitely gives the side eye to invaders of all stripes。I thoroug To be fair， there are a few countries in this Atlas that never existed at all。 But whether they existed in reality or in one pompous man’s ambitious dreams， all are fascinating。This is a very readable – and very snarky – history of places and people that failed miserably。You can page through it to see what catches your attention， or read straight through， but every entry is definitely worth reading！The author is dry and funny and definitely gives the side eye to invaders of all stripes。I thoroughly enjoyed this one！*ARC via Net Galley 。。。more
Bookgrrl
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3。25 starsThis is an amusing， lighthearted look at a number of countries that no longer exist。 Some of them existed for hundreds of years， some for just a couple of days。 Some had millions of residents， and some only had a few。 There are a couple of countries that most of us should have some knowledge of， such as East Germany and the Republic of Texas。 But most are places that you’ve never heard of。 If you are looking for in-depth and detailed discussions on each of these places， look elsewhere。 3。25 starsThis is an amusing， lighthearted look at a number of countries that no longer exist。 Some of them existed for hundreds of years， some for just a couple of days。 Some had millions of residents， and some only had a few。 There are a couple of countries that most of us should have some knowledge of， such as East Germany and the Republic of Texas。 But most are places that you’ve never heard of。 If you are looking for in-depth and detailed discussions on each of these places， look elsewhere。 Each country only covers a few pages in the book， and each entry is presented in a humorous and sardonic fashion。 So if you’re writing your history doctoral thesis I wouldn’t use this book as a reference， as the facts are a bit loosey-goosey。 But if you’re someone like me who enjoys obscure history trivia then this is a fun read。Thank you to NetGalley & Europa Editions for this advanced reader copy。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
Zeb Kantrowitz
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This is an unusual book in that the more unique a country （some lasted 1 day） the better chance it has to be listed in this tome。 You have to laugh at some of them and others are sad because they didn't have a chance of surviving。At least to me there really isn't anything to review。 Defoe has done a fine job in what he stated the book was to be about， so nothing else needs to be said。 This is an unusual book in that the more unique a country （some lasted 1 day） the better chance it has to be listed in this tome。 You have to laugh at some of them and others are sad because they didn't have a chance of surviving。At least to me there really isn't anything to review。 Defoe has done a fine job in what he stated the book was to be about， so nothing else needs to be said。 。。。more
Bene Vogt
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The funniest collection of reports on genocide， slavery and racism you are likely to ever read！
JukeBexHero
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Very funny in that good British tongue-in-cheek way， and doesn't shy away from the fact that When White Europeans Show Up， Situations Tend To Get Much Worse。 Minus one star for being too short， because each country sent me down another Wikipedia rabbit hole。 Very funny in that good British tongue-in-cheek way， and doesn't shy away from the fact that When White Europeans Show Up， Situations Tend To Get Much Worse。 Minus one star for being too short， because each country sent me down another Wikipedia rabbit hole。 。。。more
Jonathan
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Sounds like a good idea for a book but。。。it isn't。 Tiresome stories told with too much cuteness as if written for a child。 Doesn't gel， would've worked better as a longer more detailed book concentrating on the more interesting characters and stories。 Sounds like a good idea for a book but。。。it isn't。 Tiresome stories told with too much cuteness as if written for a child。 Doesn't gel， would've worked better as a longer more detailed book concentrating on the more interesting characters and stories。 。。。more
Rhys Howell
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Enjoyable book which doesn't go into huge detail of each country。 Lots of the countries blur into one after awhile however。 Enjoyable book which doesn't go into huge detail of each country。 Lots of the countries blur into one after awhile however。 。。。more
Rob
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I'm a bit disappointed I paid money for this book。 The entries are brief and lack sufficient detail to make each extinct country truly noteworthy。 In fact the author's style downplays the seriousness surrounding the demise of each country making it appear an almost comical event。 I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone。 I'm a bit disappointed I paid money for this book。 The entries are brief and lack sufficient detail to make each extinct country truly noteworthy。 In fact the author's style downplays the seriousness surrounding the demise of each country making it appear an almost comical event。 I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone。 。。。more
Jim Rimmer
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This was a fun but frivolous piece of puffery。 There are many other books that tackle different aspects of this topic in far greater depth and seriousness - Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies， Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson to name a few - but Defoe's effort points to an inherent absurdity in what we consider a country through the shear force of documenting folly and silliness in an appropriate style。I enjoyed it and expect I'll bump into various of these countries and characters in f This was a fun but frivolous piece of puffery。 There are many other books that tackle different aspects of this topic in far greater depth and seriousness - Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies， Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson to name a few - but Defoe's effort points to an inherent absurdity in what we consider a country through the shear force of documenting folly and silliness in an appropriate style。I enjoyed it and expect I'll bump into various of these countries and characters in future reads。 。。。more
Ratnam Singh
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“Countries die。 Sometimes it’s murder， sometimes it's an accident。 Sometimes they are too ludicrous to exist in the first place。”I don’t remember the last time I laughed this heartily while reading a book。 I also didn’t know a book on extinct countries of the world could be written in such a hilarious way。 The topic in itself has a wide scope of humor but what the writer has done with it is just sublime。 It documents the extinct countries/ nations/ estates that came into existence for the most f “Countries die。 Sometimes it’s murder， sometimes it's an accident。 Sometimes they are too ludicrous to exist in the first place。”I don’t remember the last time I laughed this heartily while reading a book。 I also didn’t know a book on extinct countries of the world could be written in such a hilarious way。 The topic in itself has a wide scope of humor but what the writer has done with it is just sublime。 It documents the extinct countries/ nations/ estates that came into existence for the most farcical reasons ever， in the most ludicrous writing。 More often， the forces behind these absurd places were bonehead， self-entitled brats who had zero regards for any wits and who could invent a new country for a reason as ridiculous as their love for candies。 Gideon Defoe has not shied away from going all out on ridiculing these knuckleheads with his extremely comic writing style while holding onto a brilliantly quirky and witty approach。 You are in for a laughter-fest here my friend。 I remember completely losing it to some of the puns or sentences like， “He had stopped eating completely because by this point， he was really fed up。” or a part related to Gengis Khan who had issued a passport for his countrymen that said， “Let Pass or Die。” Oh， there is a chapter about Sikkim Estate where he mentions Indira Gandhi somewhat like， “Not a person to be trusted even with taking care of house plants was left with making a decision about a country that was going extinct。” I think everybody must read this book for elevating their hearts to the air with hearty laughter。 Weirdly brilliant facts and anecdotes are a delightful bonus！ 。。。more
L Thompson
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Interesting subject， poorly written as a farce。
Tom
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Closer to 3。5。 An interesting if light （and dark） intro to several footnotes in world history。
Elke
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Fun read
Louise Lyons
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Just love everything this guy writes！
Molly
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This is an ARC Review。 Many thanks to Europa Compass and Edelweiss。"[C]ountries are just daft stories we tell each other。""All countries rely on belief， or at least a suspension of disbelief。 They need a reason to exist based on a common history or people or language or adversary - or， most usually， some poorly thought-out mix of all of those。" I was expecting a more extensive history， but I would categorize this book more as a cute coffee-table piece。 That's not to say it doesn't present valuabl This is an ARC Review。 Many thanks to Europa Compass and Edelweiss。"[C]ountries are just daft stories we tell each other。""All countries rely on belief， or at least a suspension of disbelief。 They need a reason to exist based on a common history or people or language or adversary - or， most usually， some poorly thought-out mix of all of those。" I was expecting a more extensive history， but I would categorize this book more as a cute coffee-table piece。 That's not to say it doesn't present valuable information， it just doesn't present much detail。 Some of my favorite little facts I did not know previously:The creation and funding of New Caledonia would leave Scotland so bankrupt that it， at least partially， pushed them into signing the Act of Union。Franceville was "one of the very first nations to practise [sic] universal suffrage" （though only white males could be elected）。 Naissar， the island on which The Soviet Republic of Soldiers & Fortress Builders of Naissar was built， translates as "Island of Women，" leading "some to suggest it might be the same Island of Women， home to a mythical race of Amazons， recorded by Adam of Bremen a thousand years ago。" The Tangier International Zone （1924-56） "was one of the few places in the world you could be openly gay [at the time] without winding up in prison。""[A] more recent， real-life version of the Amazons [was] the West African Kingdom of Dahomey， unique for boasting a substantially female army。" And that's just a few。 So， there are valuable historical tidbits in here but， aside from some random footnotes （like one on how to make beef jerky。。。 I guess it was relevant because the people in question made beef jerky， but， relevant or not， was it necessary？）， there is very little （if any） information offered to back up Defoe's claims。 For example， he calls one ruler of Bavaria "definitely insane" and just leaves it at that; it may be true， but back up your claims with sources， or at least some more details！ The whole book seems almost rushed， like Defoe was given a word count he couldn't exceed。 The sections on each country were incredibly short （generally around 5 pages）， which is partially what makes me call it a "coffee table book。" You just can't get very in-depth in so few pages。 Finally， this book suffers a great deal from trying too hard to sound quirky， and it looses some credibility in the process。 It is important for an author to find his/her unique voice， but not at the expense of authenticity。 The tone of this book just comes off as overwhelmingly overplaying。 It even veers into cringey and lightly condescending territory （to the subjects） in some parts。 For example， when referring to one man who starved himself to death as a prisoner， Defoe included。。。 just a really bad pun: "he was understandably pretty fed up by this point。" It's solid dark humor， but it just rubbed me wrong in that context。 As I said， I appreciate an author trying to find his voice， but this voice didn't quite work for me。 That's not to say it won't work for you， though。 So， overall， this wasn't a bad book， it just wasn't what I expected。 I was thinking something more along the lines of Matyszak's Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World （excellent， btw） and less Drunk History。 If you're looking for a light， unique， fun-info-for-parties book this will probably be a good one for you。 If you're looking for a more historical text， just understand that this book does give you some great research points but it doesn't provide much detail。Some things I liked:The what3words geocoding system is so neat and something I'd never heard of before。 Instead of latitude and longitude， this system uses three random words to identify worldwide locations。 For example， the Chrysler Building in NYC is found by ///enhance。slowly。lace。 Way cooler than latitude and longitude。I also liked the little information sections preceding each country chapter， giving details such as currency， population， languages， "cause of death，" etc。 The hand-drawn maps were also a neat touch。It has a nice bibliography for further reading and research。I viewed this more as a con but it could also be a pro: the short chapters are quite easy to read and would be good if you're short on time or just looking for something light。Some things I didn't like:The writing style just tries too hard to be quirky and it doesn't come across well to me。The sections on each country are tiny and don't present a lot of historical information （though they do provide some jumping-off points for research if you're interested）。I found a few typos and formatting issues， BUT I assume these will be corrected in further proofreads as this is an advance copy。 。。。more
Julia
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Perhaps a rating of 2 is a bit harsh but I think my main issue with this book is that the short summaries of each 'extinct country' weren't all that memorable， probably owing to the sheer number of them。 There wasn't really enough information on each to learn much of anything but it did manage to pique my interest and I'd like to pick up some more books which are focussed on just one country/major event in history， allowing them to go into more depth。 That said it wasn't an entirely unenjoyable Perhaps a rating of 2 is a bit harsh but I think my main issue with this book is that the short summaries of each 'extinct country' weren't all that memorable， probably owing to the sheer number of them。 There wasn't really enough information on each to learn much of anything but it did manage to pique my interest and I'd like to pick up some more books which are focussed on just one country/major event in history， allowing them to go into more depth。 That said it wasn't an entirely unenjoyable experience， just need to take it for what it is。 。。。more
Cara
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I found Gideon Defoe’s writing style to be hilarious！ His witty humor kept me interested and wanting to read more。 It’s a very easy read， and the format makes it quick to get through。 Would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a humorously historical book。
Oliver Ruan
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Book was not what I expected， thought it would go a bit more in-depth with all of the extinct countries。 It tried to create comedic blurbs about each which was entertaining at times but far too repetitive。
Holly Cruise
，
I like to mix up my history book reading between very very serious and hefty ones， and lighter ones which are still informative and interesting but which are also a bit irreverent and witty。 And I have lots of time for listy ones like this which can be picked up and enjoyed in small chunks because sometimes you just want to read a flippant account of how Franceville or Libertalia or The Free State of Bottleneck （no， really） burned bright （or dim） for 15 minutes （or 15 years） before being swallow I like to mix up my history book reading between very very serious and hefty ones， and lighter ones which are still informative and interesting but which are also a bit irreverent and witty。 And I have lots of time for listy ones like this which can be picked up and enjoyed in small chunks because sometimes you just want to read a flippant account of how Franceville or Libertalia or The Free State of Bottleneck （no， really） burned bright （or dim） for 15 minutes （or 15 years） before being swallowed by the sands of time （usually got screwed over by Britain， France or the USA）。It's not an academic tome， it's a series of short anecdotes from your mate who *really* wants to tell you about all these countries， and it would honestly work just as well if you memorised each entry verbatim to recycle at the pub （or the Zoom call， it's 2021， after all） for the entertainment of the group。 。。。more
Steve Bennett
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A fun little read that's fairly light hearted looking at the histories of countries that existed only for a time， before falling for various reasons。 If you want to look more in depth into the history of these places， then you'll need to do additional reading， but as a top left， humourous read it's great。 3。5* A fun little read that's fairly light hearted looking at the histories of countries that existed only for a time， before falling for various reasons。 If you want to look more in depth into the history of these places， then you'll need to do additional reading， but as a top left， humourous read it's great。 3。5* 。。。more
Sophie
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This would have been much better if the author put more effort into actually writing instead of just trying to be funny for 200 or so pages。 In saying that， one of these stars is purely because he quoted Father Ted。
Annabel Kok
，
An interesting and light hearted （though adequately disapproving of colonialist policy） read that was perfect to kick off my reading for 2021。
Thu Nguyen
，
The audiobook version was entertaining， witty， and fun to listen to。 Not much significance in terms of a history lesson as the majority of countries in this book were stranger than fiction， mostly historical scam artists。 A few stories were serious WW2 fails。
Yusuf
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I like the idea of a book about extinct countries。
Tarmia
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I found this book really enjoyable。 It was interesting and I now have some good trivia to share at parties （as you do）。 Defoe had a really entertaining voice and I found myself chuckling along the way quite a bit。 I would recommend this book to anyone who likes history， geography and weird and wacky places。
Ifor
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There are meetings that should have been emails， this is a book that should have been a vlog。The light humour makes it an easy enough read， albeit some of the comedy feels a bit forced， but there is very little depth of information and detail here。 For a more detailed approach to the same topic， that I found significantly more engaging， I would advise reading Norman Davies' Vanished Kingdoms instead。 There are meetings that should have been emails， this is a book that should have been a vlog。The light humour makes it an easy enough read， albeit some of the comedy feels a bit forced， but there is very little depth of information and detail here。 For a more detailed approach to the same topic， that I found significantly more engaging， I would advise reading Norman Davies' Vanished Kingdoms instead。 。。。more
Kevin Hogan
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