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    Unavailable
    An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States
    Unavailable
    An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States
    Unavailable
    An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States
    Ebook232 pages1 hour

    An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States

    By Nick Middleton

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    What is a country? Acclaimed travel writer and Oxford geography don Nick Middleton brings to life the origins and histories of 50 states that, lacking international recognition and United Nations membership, exist on the margins of legitimacy in the global order. From long-contested lands like Crimea and Tibet to lesser-known territories such as Africa's last colony and a European republic that enjoyed independence for a single day, Middleton presents fascinating stories of shifting borders, visionary leaders, and "forgotten" peoples. Beautifully illustrated with 50 regional maps, each country is literally die-cut out of the page, offering a distinctive tactile experience while exploring these remarkable places.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChronicle Books Digital
    Release dateMar 21, 2017
    ISBN9781452158839
    Unavailable
    An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States
    Author

    Nick Middleton

    Nick Middleton is a geographer, author, and television documentary writer and presenter. A fellow of St Anne's College, he lives and teaches in Oxford, England.

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    Reviews for An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist

    3.5/5

    41 ratings13 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I took this book to a picnic and several people found it very interesting, as did I. It's not necessarily a book that you read in one sitting. I found myself going back to the book over a period of time. The book has an interesting way of placing the "country".On a solid red page the outline of the country is cut out. On the following page there is a map of the regional area with the country outlined in red. This places the disputed area for the reader. I will keep this on my coffee table for a while.
    • 4/5
      The first thing you'll notice if you happen to have a hardcover edition of An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist by Nick Middleton is its gorgeous design. I don't just mean the cover art, which is elegant as well, but the quality of the paper, the color schemes, and how the chapter pages have cutouts of the countries as a kind of reveal showing where they're located on the world map. My explanation doesn't do it justice. You'll have to see it for yourself.
    • 2/5
      This one sounds more interesting than it actually is. Each region gets a full page map and approximately half of a page of text, so readers learn less than they would have if they had just consulted Wikipedia.As it styles itself an atlas one would think it would have good maps, but that is not the case: they do not show recognized national borders within the regions discussed, making it difficult to know what country is claiming them (the text rarely makes this clear, either); the scales are hidden so deep in the gutter that I didn't even notice they were there until halfway through the book; and all of the maps were rendered in an unattractive combination of blue-grey and red.In short, it's definitely not worth the $30 cover price.
    • 4/5
      It's a book about 50 countries that lack (or lacked as some no longer exist) general outside recognition as independent states. Each country is given four pages. Page one has the country's name, a one sentence description, and its flag(s). Page two has some basic data and a cutout through which you can see the shape of the country. Half of page three is taken up by the cutout on the other side of the page, and the other half is a brief description of the history of the country. Page four is a map that is really only useful for showing the country's geographic location. It's an interesting concept, but it lacks in depth.
    • 3/5
      The physical book itself is beautiful and must have cost quite a lot to produce. Each "country" is presented with a two-page introduction on red paper with a cut-out revealing the shape of the country that is printed on the next page. It's very stylish and I'm at a loss to figure out how the publisher created these cut-outs short of doing them by hand. They made an odd choice when they decided to use an italic font for the half-page article that accompanies each "country". It's a little hard to read and takes away from the pleasure of reading I normally get. The selection of "countries" seems a little odd too. Some are all but legitimate sovereignties with seemingly strong legal claims to their own government. Others however are pretty farcical and the way the book is laid out makes no distinction between the two.My biggest complaint however is that no matter how legit, ancient, and interesting the claim, each "country" gets the same short half-page write-up. It seems to me that some of these entries deserved at least a couple of pages to more fully explain the history and debate of the claim.So to sum up, beautiful physical book but poorly executed "one-size-fits-all" format with a bad font choice to boot.NOTE: If you'd really like to read a story about a failed "country", read Kurt Vonnegut's editorial Biafra: A People Betrayed. It'll break your heart, and the story of Biafra didn't even get a mention in this book!
    • 3/5
      An interesting book that is beautifully put together, but shallow on the subject. Mr. Middleton examines the notion of what is the standard for a nation, how they form and how they get recognized. The book compiles some "nations" that have or had some degree of existence, but some lesser degree of legitimate political recognition. These range from the pirate radio formation of Sealand to the globally preserved Antarctica.
    • 4/5
      In terms of looks, this gets 4 stars, being rather handsomely designed (though the type, being italic, is harder to read). In terms of content, however, I found myself wanting more, sometimes quite literally. The selection of "countries" seems rather arbitrary, as the author admits, and has both formerly independent entities, often forcibly annexed to bigger neighbors, and quixotic libertarian projects. While this itself doesn't bother me (I appreciate books that have humor as well as seriousness) it's more of an issue that each receives half a page of text no matter the circumstances. As a result some countries get short shrift while others receive way more attention than their historical importance, current influence or number of inhabitants seem to warrant. I suspect if I want fuller stories on any of these, I'll have to turn to Wikipedia or Google -- especially since no bibliography is included.
    • 5/5
      This is a beautiful book. A lot of attention to detail and care has been put into the design of this amazing book, from the color scheme of subtle gray-blue and cherry red, to the way each location is set in a map, with the previous page having a cut-out so that the reader first encounters the country, and then its place on the globe. This isn't the kind of book designed to help children with their geography homework, or to be an information-filled guidebook, instead, each entry is features a flag and some basic information, with a few paragraphs telling the story of each state, with the intention of arousing curiosity and interest, rather than providing a lot of details. These stories are often poignant or weird, but always interesting.I loved Judith Schalansky's Atlas of Remote Islands, and this book falls into the same wheelhouse, being more about the idea of these places than anything else. The places featured range from the well-known and expected (Greenland, Catalonia) to the off-beat and obscure (Transnistria and Somaliland) to the downright odd (Elgaland-Vargaland, Atlantium), but all are fascinating.
    • 2/5
      5486. An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States, by Nick Middleton (read 16 Jul 2017) This kind of spoofy book will appeal to people interested in geography. I recall when I was in 3rd grade in a room with 4th graders I envied them because one of the subjects they had was geography, which we third graders did not have. This book lists 50 "countries" some of which we all recognize, such as Greenland, Antarctica, Isle of Man, Somaliland, Taiwan,and even maybe Ruthenia. But Pontinha? Even the whiz kids who participate in geography contests would no doubt miss on that one. For good reason: its population is 4. (It is an island near Madeira--we know where that is, right?) And it is not the least populated "country" listed in this book. Akhzivland's population is given as 2. And there is one "country", Minerva, listed with its population given as 0. So no matter how skilled you are in geography, you are bound to learn from this uniquely designed book. (I think I am supposed to tell you that it was given me free in return for a published review, so I do so tell you.)
    • 4/5
      A partly serious, partly cheeky geographers look at the world. Some of these hidden countries are deadly serious - Northern Cyprus, Catalonia, Crimea, Tibet, Bangsamro - and some are a lark: Sealand and seemingly countless fantasy islands. I was left wanting more about the serious countries and much less about the fantasies, but I suppose that isn't keeping in the spirit of the book. A good book to set aside for punctuated reading in bursts.
    • 4/5
      Great concept and well executed.
    • 5/5
      I love the design of this book and the bits and pieces of information for a variety of places, from those I've heard of, like Catalonia or Rapa Nui, to the unfamiliar, such as Barotseland. I like maps and place names and good design. I saw this book in a store before I saw it offered on Early Reviwers, so I was really excited to snag a copy. I will admit that I wasn't sure if the states would be real or imaginary, and also that I didn't care.
    • 2/5
      A triumph of design over content, this volume's 232 pages are chiefly consumed by peek-a-boo maps, double-page continent headings and fact sheets with huge borders. That leaves little space with useful content, just a page for each of 50 “countries.” I did learn a little about places I was unfamiliar with, but it really wasn't worth it.