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Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (Paperback)
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Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (Paperback)

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Paperback 320 Pages
Published: 02/06/2016
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Waterstones Says

In this runaway bestseller, the former Sky News Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall offers a panoptic view of how geography has shaped the history of the world – and why it continues to do so.

A Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month for 2016

Seeing geography as a decisive factor in the course of human history can be construed as a bleak view of the world, which is why it is disliked in some intellectual circles. It suggests that nature is more powerful than man, and that we can only go so far in determining our own fate.

Splitting the globe into ten distinct regions, former Sky News Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall redresses our techno-centric view of the world and suggests that our key political driver continues to be our physical geography. Beginning with Russia (and its bewildering eleven time-zones), we are treated to an illuminating, border-by-border disassembly of what makes the world what it is; why, for instance, China and India will never fall into conflict (the Himalayas), or why the Ukraine is such a tactical jewel in the crown.

With its panoptic view over our circumstance, Prisoners of Geography makes a compelling case around how the physical framework of the world itself has defined our history. It’s one of those books that prompts real reflection and one that on publication absolutely grasped the imagination of our customers, ensuring it as a guaranteed entrant to our 2016 Paperbacks of the Year.

'One of the best books about geopolitics you could imagine: reading it is like having a light shone on your understanding.' - Nicholas Lezard, The Evening Standard

Publisher: Elliott & Thompson Limited
ISBN: 9781783962433
Number of pages: 320
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm


MEDIA REVIEWS

'A fresh and original insight into the geopolitics behind today’s foreign policy challenges’ — Andrew Neil; `Crisply written and brilliantly argued’ — Dame Ann Leslie; `An essential and detailed reflection of the geopolitical dynamics that exist globally’ — Dr Sajjan M. Gohel; 'Quite simply, one of the best books about geopolitics you could imagine: reading it is like having a light shone on your understanding…. Marshall is clear-headed, lucid and possessed of an almost uncanny ability to make the broad picture accessible and coherent … the book is, in a way which astonished me, given the complexities of the subject, unputdownable…. I can’t think of another book that explains the world situation so well.' – Nicholas Lezard, Evening Standard ; 'Compels a fresh way of looking at maps – not just as objects for orientation or works of art, but as guideposts to the often thorny relations between nations' -- The New York Times; 'A very good idea, very well executed -- and (perhaps as one expected) very entertainingly written' - Professor Anthony Glees, Director, Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), The University of Buckingham; 'Shows the ways geography shapes not just history but human destiny… In an ever more complex, chaotic and interlinked world, Prisoners of Geography is a concise and useful primer on geo-politics. Marshall is not afraid to ask tough questions and provide sharp answers.' – Adam LeBor, Newsweek; 'Marshall’s latest book explains how politics is nothing without geography, in his crisp and compelling style ... What he really excels at is capturing the psychology of nations and giving maps a power that politicians must tame.' - Top Ten Holiday Reads – Dan Lewis, Stanfords, WorldTravelGuide.net; 'Difficult to put down… Marshall succeeds in making lucid a complex topic.' – Chris Tilbury, Prospect; 'A timely reminder of the importance of geopolitics … A good bluffer’s guide for the members of the newly elected Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committees' - Keith Simpson MP, summer reading list recommendations; 'A reminder of the salience of geography in international affairs…. Ideologies may come and go but, says Marshall, who served a long stint as diplomatic editor of Britain’s Sky News, such geopolitical facts of life endure.'– Daniel Dombey, Financial Times; 'There are few foreign correspondents in the current British media who can present an overview of a political situation quite like Tim Marshall. The former Diplomatic Editor at Sky News, he has a long and impressive CV in foreign journalism covering conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Israel and in his new book, Prisoners of Geography he presents this knowledge and experience quite brilliantly.' - Retroculturati; 'An introduction to geopolitics and geo-strategy … worth reading as a commentary on the subject' - Army Rumour Service review; 'Sharp insights into the way geography shapes the choices of world leaders.' - Gideon Rachman, Financial Times; 'Remarkable and stimulating … an eye opener in every sense. I now understand in ways that I never did before how much impact physical geography has on political reality. Within these pages you will find a heady mixture of accurate analysis and almost poetic description. … If you are worried about the dumbing down of news but want to find out for yourself what lies behind the international headlines, this book would be a great place to start.' — Richard Littledale, blogger; 'An exceptional work, well-researched, argued and documented … a treasure of information to satisfy the specialist researcher into contemporary geopolitics and offers a riveting insight to the general reader or student…. It is all covered in this magnificent book, which I highly recommend.' — Nehad Ismail, writer and broadcaster; 'What Tim Marshall gives the reader is an excellent lesson and reminders that geography influences political decisions, strategic decisions of governments and the attitudes of the people ... Buy this book, borrow this book and give this book it is too important to remain on the shelves getting dusty.' - Atticusfinch1048; 'a timely reminder that despite technological advances, geography is always there, often forcing the hand of world leaders.' - Mark Cooper-Jones, Geographical; "A fascinating analysis of geopolitical relationships that reminds the reader that politics is nothing without geography. A very timely read, given the state of foreign affairs." -- Town and Country.co.uk; “Very useful … a highly accessible introduction to the geopolitics of every region on Earth. Considering that there are so many 'popular economics' and 'popular history' books out there, it's good to see a 'popular geography' or 'popular geopolitics' book” – BMIResearch.com

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“You will never look at the world map in the same way again! ”

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
I had never heard of geopolitics until I came across this book. The book was on the Waterstone’s Non-Fictions book of the month list, so thought I’d give it a go and wow!! It is... More

Paperback edition
Helpful? Upvote 257

“A Lightweight Paperback for Students”

Back in 2012, Robert D. Kaplan published The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate. Named as one of the world’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers” by Foreign Policy... More

Paperback edition
Helpful? Upvote 233

“Boundaries are social as well as physical”

This accomplished book acts as something of an x ray on the world, past present and future, revealing the fractures: physical, social and cultural that have led to and will continue to lead to human rivalry and... More

Paperback edition
Helpful? Upvote 123

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