{"title":"Gideon Defoe","description":"\u003cp\u003eGideon Defoe offers a unique blend of humour and history, exploring unusual and often forgotten narratives with wit and charm. His work, such as \u003cem\u003eAn Atlas of Extinct Countries\u003c\/em\u003e, invites readers to discover the stories behind vanished nations and obscure historical episodes, presented with a playful yet insightful tone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIdeal for those who appreciate historical curiosity laced with a lighthearted approach, Defoe’s books illuminate the past with sharp observation and entertaining prose. His writing transforms history into an engaging adventure, making forgotten tales vividly accessible.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"an-atlas-of-extinct-countries-by-gideon-defoe-9780008393854","title":"An Atlas of Extinct Countries","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrisoners of Geography\u003c\/em\u003e meets Bill Bryson: a funny, fascinating, beautifully illustrated – and timely – history of countries that, for myriad and often ludicrous reasons, no longer exist.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘Countries are just daft stories we tell each other. They’re all equally implausible once you get up close’\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCountries 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. Occasionally they explode violently. A few slip away almost unnoticed. Often the cause of death is either ‘got too greedy’ or ‘Napoleon turned up’. Now and then they just hold a referendum and vote themselves out of existence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an atlas of nations that fell off the map. The polite way of writing an obituary is: dwell on the good bits, gloss over the embarrassing stuff. This book fails to do that. And that is mainly because most of these dead nations (and a lot of the ones that are still alive) are so weird or borderline nonsensical that it’s impossible to skip the embarrassing stuff.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe life stories of the sadly deceased involve a catalogue of chancers, racists, racist chancers, conmen, madmen, people trying to get out of paying tax, mistakes, lies, stupid schemes and General Idiocy. Because of this – and because treating nation states with too much respect is the entire problem with pretty much everything – these accounts are not fussed about adding to all the earnest flag saluting in the world, however nice some of the flags are.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46487071785196,"sku":"9780008393854","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/26858443482190.jpg?v=1748325899"},{"product_id":"an-atlas-of-extinct-countries-by-gideon-defoe-9781609457662","title":"An Atlas of Extinct Countries","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe remarkable (and occasionally ridiculous) stories of 48 nations that fell off the map.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCountries are just daft stories we tell each other. They're all equally implausible once you get up close.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCountries 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. \u003cem\u003eAn Atlas of Extinct Countries\u003c\/em\u003e is an exploration of 48 nations that disappeared from 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 to dwell on the good bits and gloss over the embarrassing stuff. This book refuses to do so, as these dead nations are so ridiculous that it's impossible to skip the embarrassing parts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e★ \"This book is a sparkling gem.\" --\u003cem\u003eBooklist\u003c\/em\u003e (Starred Review)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Perfect for fans of \u003cem\u003eAtlas Obscura\u003c\/em\u003e.\" --\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47397704696044,"sku":"9781609457662","price":53.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/510433482761.jpg?v=1773720907"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/gideon-defoe.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}