Bloody brilliant. Someone needs to tell John Elledge that the lines on maps are not supposed to be this entertaining.--Washington Independent Review of Books

Entertaining and accessible. . . . A great, insightful and timely read that puts our modern borders into context and shows how history does, in fact, still impact today.--Travel Pulse

An entertaining and enlightening look at how geography, politics, and other factors influenced the lines on today's maps. . . . Elledge's approach is informative without being dry.--Afar.com

The last decade in global politics is a reminder that history never moves in a straight line--but that hasn't ever stopped politicians and powerbrokers from trying to draw them on the maps that hang on the walls of our classrooms and corridors of power. This addictive book from the ever-curious Jonn Elledge proves that and then some. Full of stories you thought you understood and those even the nerds in your life will never have known, this clever, confounding history will help you see the world from a new angle--if you can ever put it down.--Patrick Maguire, author of Left Out

A brilliant account of how these lines on a map shape lives, destinies, and economies. You'll never look at a map in the same way again.--Stephen Bush, Financial Times columnist

All borders are artificial and every nation is an invention. Jonn Elledge provides a witty grand tour of the fascinating, disturbing, and downright bizarre decisions that made the world what it is today.--Dorian Lynskey, author of The Ministry of Truth

This is brilliant fun, explaining the modern world in enjoyably bite-sized chapters. It's exactly the book you hope it will be.--Rob Hutton, author of The Illusionist

This fascinating and surprising history of the world told through the simple lines people have drawn on maps. . . is extraordinary and unreservedly recommended.--Midwest Book Review

Totally fascinating and hugely entertaining. This book is a nerd's paradise without borders--but with jokes. Jonn Elledge has such a gift for looking at complicated bits of the world, then telling you all about them in a way that feels not like a textbook, but like an incredibly fun and interesting conversation in the pub.--Marina Hyde, author of What Just Happened?!

A novel and fascinating perspective on world history.--Bill Bryson, author of A Short History of Nearly Everything

Borders have shifted throughout the centuries, the playthings, [Elledge] pointsout, of ideas about the nation state, of conquest and politics, but also ofincreasingly accurate mapping. . . . As contemporary events show all too clearly, lines on maps still matter.-- "New Statesman"

Elledge has an eye for entertaining stories, and can pick up politicalhot potatoes without burning his fingers.--The Arts Desk

By turns surprising, funny, bleak, ridiculous, or all four of those at once, A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders unknots some of the weird historical and geographical tangles we've managed to get ourselves into. And it's timely too, if only because our preoccupation with drawing lines never seems to abate.--Gideon Defoe, author of An Atlas of Extinct Countries

Shortlisted for Foyles Book of the Year, 2024

"This book is an excellent read. . . . A smorgasbord of geographical history.--GeekDad

Somehow, Jonn Elledge turns geo-political history into a funny, fascinating, and revealing insight not only into the world today but into the frailty and determination of the human spirit. Packed with 'I never knew that' information (the sort that you read out to anyone in the room with you), A [Brief] History of the World in 47 Borders shows us that history doesn't repeat itself, but it plays out in weird ways right under our noses. He's such a lovely writer. A delight from start to finish.--Miranda Sawyer, author of Out of Time

Publisher: Experiment

Pub date: 2025-10-07

Length: 368 pages