Do you still find yourself referring to Zaire or Czechoslovakia, or wondering whether it should be Moldavia or Moldova, Burma or Myanmar? Dozens of countries, cities, and counties have changed their identity over the years. Some of the names we remember from our schooldays or from news headlines just a few years ago are now gone. For example, what did happen to Tanganyika? The fascinating stories behind the place names include Affpiddle, Biafra, British Heligoland, Ceylon, Flintshire, Friendly Isles, Islands of Samson and the Ducks, Leningrad, Little Britain, Macedonia, Muscat, Pleasant Island, Stalingrad, Tanganyika, West Britain, Yugoslavia, and Zaire. From the major political movements (the Leningrads and Stalingrads of the Socialist Soviet Republic) to enticing destinations (Pleasant Islands, the Friendly Isles), Whatever Happened to Tanganyika? reveals how the atlas of yesteryear became the maps of today.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Publisher: Anova Books Pub. Date: 1st May 2009 Catalog: Book Media: Hardcover Number Of Pages: 160 Ean: 9781906032050 Isbn: 190603205X
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USER REVIEWS
What a hoot! ~ Written on Nov 3, 2009. 7 out of 7 users found this review helpful.
I picked this up for the catchy title (Tanganyika? a blast from the past!) and couldn't put it down. Part of my job involves getting place names correct, thought by some (not me) to be a tedious chore, so I couldn't help but be drawn in to Harry's tongue-in-cheek approach to geography. Moldova vs Moldavia? he knows. When and why did Burma become Myanmar and did anyone ask the inhabitants? The place names of my youth are all explained here, as well as their demise in the intervening years for political correctness. Humor is threaded throughout the book, as with his explanation of the history of 'The Islands of St Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins', Christopher Columbus' name for the present-day Virgin Islands. Who knew? I was utterly charmed by his entry on the country of San Serriffe, later revealed to be an April Fool's Day joke started and perpetuated by the Guardian (UK). Campbell's entry is just as funny and a lot more compact than the series of articles that make it a running joke in the UK.
Anyway, love the book, got a great laugh out of it. I wonder what's next?
(tagged with Humor, Geography - when was the last time you put those two together?)
One thing, Mr Campbell - while the illustrations are cute, maps would have been helpful. Kiribati isn't on my list of familiar places.
(1 customer reviews)
