An Atlas of Extinct Countries [Paperback]

The remarkable (and occasionally ridiculous) stories of 48 nations that fell off the map.

“Countries are just daft stories we tell each other. They’re all equally implausible once you get up close.”

Countries 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. This is an atlas of 48 nations that fell off the map. Their causes of death range from the implausible (jerky prices) to the unfortunate (too evil) to the downright bizarre (the flip of a coin). The polite way of writing an obituary is: dwell on the good bits, gloss over the embarrassing stuff. This book refuses to do so, because these dead nations are so ridiculous that it’s impossible to skip the embarrassing stuff.

  “This book is a sparkling gem.”—Booklist(Starred Review)

“Perfect for fans ofAtlas Obscura.”—Publishers Weekly

ForAn Atlas of Extinct Countries

 “Defoe’s irreverent wit makes his subjects come alive […] This book is a sparkling gem.”—Booklist(Starred Review)

  “Both educational and entertaining,An Atlas of Extinct Countriesis an irreverent look at the history of defunct nations and the larger-than-life personalities behind them.”—Foreword Reviews(Starred Review)

“Defoe writes [of these] evanescent would-be Utopias, independent communes and mayfly principalities in revved-up prose a bit like Hunter S. Thompson’s, but more jokey and with an English accent [...] I came to enjoy it immensely.”—Michael Dirda,The Washington Post

“Meticulously researched but written for genuine laughs.”—CNN Travel