Myths of Geography - by Paul Richardson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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. Eight authoritative chapters puncture long-held assumptions:

• The Myth of the Continents and why they don't add up
• The Myth of the Border and why walls like Trump's don't work.
• The Myth of the Nation and fuzzy boundaries.
• The Myth of Sovereignty and Taking Back Control
• The Myth of Economic Growth and Why It's Not Worth Dying for
• The Myth of Russia's inevitable expansionism
• The Myth of China's New Silk Road
• The Myth of a doomed Africa

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.

Review Quotes

"Myths of Geography is insightful, entertaining and will force you to think differently. It's a much-needed exploration of the realities of the world around us."--Dipo Faloyin, author of Africa is Not a Country

"As continents, borders, nations, economic growth and sovereignty become the buzzwords of today's global conflicts, Paul Richardson's Myths of Geography skewers each one with elegant precision. His book places political geography at the heart of how we understand the challenges of the 21st century. A bracing and important book."--Jerry Brotton, author of Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction

"Our world can sometimes seem upside-down. Perhaps it is. In detailed and fervid prose, Paul Richardson dismantles eight myths we have come to tell ourselves about geography. By revealing important truths this folklore conceals, he shows us how our geographical imagination has far-reaching consequences. From Hadrian's Wall to the US-Mexico border, from the Eastern Sahara to the ice of Antarctica, from silk roads to Ethiopian castles, Richardson takes us to places that invite reflection - and action. After reading Myths of Geography, no news report, no map, no journey will appear quite the same again."--David Rooney, author of About Time

"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

"In this original and stimulating challenge to our assumptions about the shapes of our geographies, Paul Richardson changes the way we see the world - from how many continents there really are to the myths and realities of border walls and the nations they seek to contain."--Isabel Hilton, contributing editor at Prospect and founder of China Dialogue Trust