Myths of Geography: Eight Ways We Get the World Wrong

Myths of Geography challenges popular accounts of geographical determinism and shows that the map is not the territory, taking readers to remarkable places and exploring the myths that shape our perceptions of the world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 24 October 2024
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Outstanding. Completely reframes how you see the world in the very first chapter, and then does it again seven more times. You'll never look at a map the same way again - Jonn Elledge, author of A History of the World in 47 Borders - Is geography really destiny? Our maps may no longer be stalked by dragons and monsters, but our perceptions of the world are still shaped by geographic myths. Myths like Europe being the center of the world. Or that border walls are the solution to migration. Or that Russia is predestined to threaten its neighbors. In his punchy and authoritative new book, Paul Richardson challenges recent popular accounts of geographical determinism and shows that how the world is represented often isn't how it really is - that the map is not the territory. Along the way, we visit some remarkable places: Iceland's Thingvellir National Park, where you can swim between two continents, and Bir Tawil in North Africa, one of the world's only territories not claimed by any country. We follow the first train that ran across Eurasia between Yiwu in east China and Barking in east London, and scale the US-Mexico border wall to find out why such fortifications don't work. Written with verve and full of quotable facts, Myths of Geography is a book that will turn your world upside down.

Weight: 504g
Dimension: 162 x 241 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780349136318