An Atlas of Extinct Countries wasn't quite what I was expecting, but that's okay! It was interesting enough, but I was hoping for a bit more of a deeper look at some of the countries. The humour definitely made up for a bit of the content, but I was definitely found wanting more.

Any child could tell you that planet Earth is divided up into countries, but a much trickier question would be, what exactly is a country anyway? An Atlas of Extinct Countries by Gideon Defoe (he of The Scientists in an Adventure with Pirates) explores 48 countries that no longer exist for various reasons, all of which are ridiculous when you come to think of it.

The book is divided into four sections, beginning with Chancers and Crackpots. These countries were mostly founded by bored, rich white men who had apparently decided they didn’t have enough power and privilege as it was and needed to found their own nations to rule in order to cement a little extra prestige for their names. Naturally, they all soon discovered that founding a nation isn’t quite as simple as designing a nice flag and declaring yourself in charge.

The Mistakes and Micronations section includes one of the stories that most highlighted why the very concept of countries is so bonkers in the first place with the tale of the Ottawa Civic Hospital Maternity Ward that had to briefly be legally declared a separate country from the rest of Canada. Meanwhile, the Lies and Lost Kingdoms section includes all manner of oddities such as the Republic of Goust, a nation of fewer than 100 people which possibly never existed in the first place but was so inaccessible that its residents disposed of their dead by sending them down an icy chute built into the side of the mountain that the Republic sat atop.

The final section is for Puppets and Political Footballs, while still ridiculous in nature, some of the countries included here have darker histories than many others and frequently came to be through deep-seated racism, such as Bophuthatswana which was created to allow South Africa to benefit from the labor of Black people without having to provide for them in any way or the Congo Free State which was eventually exposed to be “a slave state on an industrial scale” – so bad in fact that it caused a public outcry at a time when, as the author notes, “nowhere was particularly enlightened.”

Despite these occasional dark elements, An Atlas of Extinct Countries is mostly a lighthearted book filled with sarcasm and genuinely laugh-out-loud moments for those able to look back and acknowledge how ridiculous much of history is.

vaguely humorous anecdotes of countries that either used to exist or for various reasons should have never existed. Not enough variations in the histories to sustain interest throughout the book. Some funny examples.

An Atlas of Extinct Countries is a wonderful book. I am a fan QI, No Such Thing As A Fish, and, The Dollop. History is almost as weird as it is tragic. This book hits a sweet spot of briefly describing fascinating periods of history while also providing humourous insight. Gideon Defoe writes with a bright and witty style that hooked me from the first page. It was like having a clever friend telling you great anecdotes. I completed the book in three days as each chapter was just as more-ish as the next. A must-read for those that like their non-fiction funny, informative, and, eloquently written.

A fun and extremely entertaining book about facts about countries that still exist and no longer exist. I found it super informative and loved it from start to finish.

I wasn't able to read this book as it wouldn't download for some reason, but is still on my shelf. A shame as it looks really interesting.

A little bit of light relief in the darkening days of Winter. Rather a case of a Cut and Come again Tome. I dipped in and out when I was in need of a quick distraction from the day’s stresses. Written most assuredly with a tongue thrust firmly into cheek, this is. It going to win any award for best non fiction book of the year ( unless of course it does, and I will stand most firmly corrected) but it held enough information to hold my attention and for me to learn a little about the absurdity of the world and the greedy and eccentricity that led to some utterly ridiculous schemes!

Suitable for all ages I would say, but judging by some reviews, best for people who do not take themselves too seriously even if they enjoy history not as a discipline but as a diversion..

Great fun to read and to learn the characteristics of most monarchs of these countries:
• Mad;
• Good at borrowing money and not paying it back;
• Charismatic;
• Bum at choosing locations for their country;
• Useless at managing a country;
• Unable to either defend against the various colonial empires or to sell their own country to these empires;
• Great at designing flags and uniforms.
So basically stupid, and worryingly, able to persuade people to get involved in their schemes, many of whom lost their lives due to famine, disease or other avoidable disasters.

Learnt something very interesting about the Vanuatu island and their hairless pigs, who are pseudo hermaphrodites – whereby the males have internal testes.
There is an article in 2006, by Lum et al in the PNAS journal, that days – pig is food in itself but is also a food storage unit, thus we obtain societal wealth and ecological balance by a form of competitive giving – of the pig.
Some pigs become ritual animals and are considered to have the equivalent status to a ‘man of title’ as they are very difficult to rear and being hairless suffer from sunburn. They are therefore extremely valuable in the pig hierarchy.

Downloaded this one by accident but glad I did...! Wouldn’t usually even pick up something like this but it was great 😃 very much like Bill Bryson to be honest and I do like his books and so I did have some hope for this one 😂 I loved reading about all the extinct countries and why they became extinct, it was such a quirky book and very different to most books I read.

It was very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it on holiday relaxing on a lounger! An easy red but a good read. I think a lot of people would enjoy it 😃

A suitable engaging trip through countries that once were, and no longer are. Informative and humorous, well-presented.

I was slightly disappointed in this book. The snippets in this book are so brief that there is no depth to them. I particularly noticed this in the story of James Brooke in Sarawak. Having been there and heard his story from the locals he was much more than the joker Defoe describes. I don't know if this is repeated throughout the book. It is not a book to read from beginning to end like a novel. I started reading the book in ckunks but as I downloaded the book to my phone I will continue to read it when I have a few minutes to spare.

This book is interesting, in a geeky sort of way, but becomes a bit repetitive. It demonstrates all that can go wrong with colonisation and/or when power goes to one's head. One to dip in and out of rather than read straight through.

A highly entertaining and informative book that helped me to learn more about now extinct countris.
Historical characters and lost countries are well described in a very witty mode.
I loved the style of writing and had fun at reading it.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is fun book, and one that really brightened my mood as I was reading it however it did feel a little uncomfortable reading this in the light of the recent conversations regarding colonialism. Even with the. humour and the disclaimers it can't be ignored just how white, European centric this book is and how it does celebrate (even archly) the way Europe's domination of the world at any cost.
Having just read about Easter Island's history in another book I am not sure that this volume is as accurate as it could be.
Fun and I can see it making a lot of Christmas lists but I just felt too uncomfortable reading it

An OK book, quite light and insubstantial but amusing on all these different countries that have failed or disappeared in various ways. I wasn't sure of the order and it was a bit bewildering when read straight through.

My reading experience was undermined by having to read it on the NetGalley app with endless scrolling rather than a page flip read, and no ability to highlight particular passages or sentences, just bookmark a whole page.

Review to come on my blog on Friday.

I found thhis a really interesting book, ideal for reading in small doses whenever one has a spare few minutes. Mr Defoe has an engaging writing style and his short histories of now extinct countries are informative and amusing and incidentally throw an illuminating light on the follies and vanities of human nature. My only quibble is not with the book but with its publisher, who chose not to make it available for the Kindle, which is where I prefer to read.

I really wanted to read and review this book but the Kindle version first of all didn’t download and then disappeared. I don’t read books on my iPad as it is too large to fit in my handbag, too heavy and too bright for bedtime reading.

On the positive side I shall probably buy it for my son for Christmas as a real paper book

A wonderfully funny book that before I had finished I had placed an order for as soon as it is available. This is what I call a coffee table book - one that is easy to dip into whenever there is a short while to be amused.
It is full of a lot of sarcasm and witty comments which add to the joy of reading this book.
The text is short and snappy about each country and the maps tie them up very clearly. This is a great book to pique interest in these obscure countries and lead to research by the reader into more facts and to discover the full truth.
My thanks go to NetGalley and 4th Estate for letting me have an advance copy to give an unbiased review.
I highly recommend this to anyone with a slight interest in history or just like reading an amusing book.

Thanks to 4th Estate and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this might be one of those love it or hate it kind of books. It certainly does not claim to be a compendium of knowledge about countries that have been and gone but the tone of the author could definitely prove irksome to some readers.

The book consists of short histories of 48 “extinct” countries and is beautifully illustrated throughout. I did find instances where the information was arguably incorrect or misrepresented but at the end of the day this book does not claim to be scholarly text, so I let it slide. The book is written is a snarky, irreverent style and I think you would have to connect with the author’s sense of humour to not find it rather grating after a while.

I personally quite enjoyed it, I wouldn’t say it was amazing or life changing in any way, but it was a pleasant enough read and the entries were short enough that dipping in and out of it was easy to do. I think it would make a nice gift, perhaps for a younger person interested in history to pique their interest and prompt further research.

A very enjoyable read, full of wit and sarcasm, makes for a fun way of learning a thing or two. Looking forward to buying a copy.