Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Philadelphia, Pa. : Enfield : Quirk ; Publishers Group UK [distributor], 2010.
Pages
160
Description
The history of proposed states which were never granted statehood.
Media reviews
Lost States is a quick little jaunt into the possibilities of what might have been had things gone in a slightly different direction. It's informative and fun, and if you're a history nerd, you should totally check it out.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2010
Physical description
160 p.; 8.3 inches
ISBN
9781594744105
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User reviews
LibraryThing member mschuyler
In the introduction the author laments the fact that the study of the states is often limited to memorizing the fifty state capitals and calls it boring. He seeks to change that. This book is kind of a breezy and lightweight first-person treatment of the subject. The vignettes on each of these 74
The book is physically quite beautiful, printed on thick paper. The many maps are as interesting as the text. It's perfect as a coffee table book and as a conversation starter.
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'lost states' are short, a page long each, accompanied by a map of what might have been that state on the facing page. Having said that, you will learn something about each state and American history, for sure. Some of the proposed states were serious movements involving thousands of people. Surprisingtly, some of the states are foreign countries such as Iceland, Greenland, Wales, Scotland, England, Albania, Sicily, and Taiwan; and some appear to be more like publicity stunts, tongue-in-cheek proposals, or the musings of a single individual. Regardless, they are all interesting reads. However, the author never misses an opportunity to criticize the contemporary United States, the Iraq War, or George Bush, so unnecessary and irrelevant to his main theme. That detracts. And once in awhile the author flat out gets it wrong. Olympia is not the capital of Oregon; it's Salem. Perhaps he should have paid more attention to that fifth grade memorization project.The book is physically quite beautiful, printed on thick paper. The many maps are as interesting as the text. It's perfect as a coffee table book and as a conversation starter.
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LibraryThing member iluvvideo
Lost States is a captivating read. You need not be a history scholar (although an interest helps!)
The entries are in alphabetical order (I would have preferred a geographical order) and are fun,fast reads full of quirky geographical history of the many proposed states and reasons why they failed.
Did you know that Navassa was once proposed for statehood? Where? A better question is about the Guano Islands Act of 1856.
Or Popham Colony (Maine). Preceding Plymouth by 10 years, abandoned after a year, the inhabitants returning to England.
Or Montezuma. Where a handshake deal between two crooked politicians set back statehood for New Mexico by 37 years.
Amazing stories made all the more captivating by the fact that they are all TRUE! Do yourself a pleasant favor. Give this book a try!
The entries are in alphabetical order (I would have preferred a geographical order) and are fun,fast reads full of quirky geographical history of the many proposed states and reasons why they failed.
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Each entry is two pages, one of text, one of a map (usually a historical reproduction). Did you know that Navassa was once proposed for statehood? Where? A better question is about the Guano Islands Act of 1856.
Or Popham Colony (Maine). Preceding Plymouth by 10 years, abandoned after a year, the inhabitants returning to England.
Or Montezuma. Where a handshake deal between two crooked politicians set back statehood for New Mexico by 37 years.
Amazing stories made all the more captivating by the fact that they are all TRUE! Do yourself a pleasant favor. Give this book a try!
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LibraryThing member ThothJ
Who wants to live in the breakaway territory of Nataqua? Apparently no women did, so it failed to acquire the population necessary for statehood. Anyone favor living in “Transylvania”? It was a failed state, in what would later become Kentucky, proposed by Daniel Boone. How about the state
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known as “Chicago”? You read that last sentence right, the great city of “Chicago” once had aspirations of becoming its’ own state. This was mostly born out of anger at not having enough representation in the state government (being outvoted by farmers makes one think of revolution). This book is full of many more cases of states, some crazy (like Boston as a city-state) and others rather logical (such as a better division of Idaho, Washington and Oregon) as well as the details behind the division of the Dakotas, the reoccurring attempts at New Jersey and Maine divisions and the desires of Long Island to separate from New York and become its own state. “Lost States” is a walk down the popular Historic Lane of What Might-Have-Been. It is a series of engaging, interesting, funny and surprising tales, all contained within a book less than 200 pages long. Each “failed state” has the pertinent details behind its creation attempt described and also includes either a map of the period with the state on it, or one of the author’s own creation. These short little snippets of our forgotten history help to illustrate the parts, politics, population, foreign policy, state and federal governments, environment, human temperament and sheer randomness played in the creation of the country we know today as the “United States of America”. Show Less
LibraryThing member phaga
This is one of those books where I get to the end and I start to get sad knowing it's going to be over soon. It was very interesting, humorous and informative. I only wish it were 100 pages longer, I could have used more info on each of the states, as it was you get little snapshots of each.
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Perhaps I'm greedy. This was still a great read. Show Less
LibraryThing member hg2008
This was a very interesting and nice coffee table sized book. It was a fun read and I learned alot from this book like random facts on these lost states and how states got their shapes it was a cool book and I also really liked how the cover of it unfolded into a map. I would recomend this book to
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everybody. Show Less
LibraryThing member detweilermom
I won this as part of Library Thing's Early reviewer program.
This book is a hoot. Not only does it give some of the ridiculous names for states Forgottonia, Half-Breed Tracts, and No Man's Land to name a few. But it also goes into alittle of the history behind each of these state requests.
Did you
Albania (the Country) loves America so much it wouldlike to become a state?
Boston wanted to become it's own state?
These are just a few of the tidbits that you will find in this book. It also has a book jacket that when opened has the outlines of some of the more prominent states on a map of the US.
This is book is highly interesting and would be a great addition to any family library.
This book is a hoot. Not only does it give some of the ridiculous names for states Forgottonia, Half-Breed Tracts, and No Man's Land to name a few. But it also goes into alittle of the history behind each of these state requests.
Did you
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know that when they made Mount Rushmore that they wanted a state that was mainly there becasue of Mount Rushmore?Albania (the Country) loves America so much it wouldlike to become a state?
Boston wanted to become it's own state?
These are just a few of the tidbits that you will find in this book. It also has a book jacket that when opened has the outlines of some of the more prominent states on a map of the US.
This is book is highly interesting and would be a great addition to any family library.
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LibraryThing member Redon
Quirk Books has a concept they call "irreference", a combination of "reference" and "irreverent". That pretty well sums this book up. The book covers 74 "lost states", with each state receiving a one-page blurb, a map showing its location or an educated guess thereat, and one or two other pictures
Those quibbles aside - and they really are quibbles, all things considered - this is a thoroughly enjoyable book. The subject matter is interesting in its own right, and Trinklein usually digs up some additional human interest facts or stories associated with each area. The maps are one of the main draws of the book; they're drawn to match the time period in which the state was considered, and they're very well-done and attractive. The cover itself folds out into a large map as well. Overall, the production quality on this book is extremely high.
As other reviewers have noted, this is more a coffee table book than an actual reference book; it's light, chatty, and occasionally opinionated. It's also consistently entertaining, informative, and beautiful to look at, so I'd say that as a coffee table book, it's a very good one.
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related to the article. I would kind of question the inclusion of some states; I'm not sure that failed colony proposals that were "never seriously considered" or the thought that if Quebec were to secede from Canada, Alberta and British Columbia might theoretically petition for statehood quite meet my standards for "lost states". I also tended to prefer the blurbs that leaned more heavily on the "reference" side rather than the "irreverent"; the blurbs are short enough that I didn't much care for it when they focused on sports teams or veered off into talking about Pat Boone. Frankly, I would have preferred fewer states with more information on each.Those quibbles aside - and they really are quibbles, all things considered - this is a thoroughly enjoyable book. The subject matter is interesting in its own right, and Trinklein usually digs up some additional human interest facts or stories associated with each area. The maps are one of the main draws of the book; they're drawn to match the time period in which the state was considered, and they're very well-done and attractive. The cover itself folds out into a large map as well. Overall, the production quality on this book is extremely high.
As other reviewers have noted, this is more a coffee table book than an actual reference book; it's light, chatty, and occasionally opinionated. It's also consistently entertaining, informative, and beautiful to look at, so I'd say that as a coffee table book, it's a very good one.
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LibraryThing member awolfe
Great fun book for anyone who is interested in how our country came together. Any age will find this of interest. Learn something new!
LibraryThing member JohnFallows
Having studied cartographic technique and history, Lost States is an interesting and brisk read. It illustrates the varied influences brought to bear when attempting to apply rather arbitrary lines of demarcation to the random and often uncharted wilds. Why the author still has a boner for George
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W. Bush and Halliburton in 2010 is mysterious, unless you take into account his former employment at PBS. Show Less
LibraryThing member cpom
Lost States is a fun look at the states that could have been. Not only do we get to see some history and trivia about these territories, but the author also infuses some humor to keep it fun. I love that the story of each lost state also included a visual representation of how the state would have
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looked if the propositions had been accepted. A great book for all ages! Show Less
LibraryThing member melancholy
This is an adorable book. It’s designed to be enjoyed in bits and pieces; each unrealized state is allotted two pages – one for three columns of text and one for an illustrated map. The trim size allows Trinklein to include sizable maps without requiring any turning of the book, and for a
(Note: This is not a scholarly book in any way. There aren't any citations, though there is a light bibliography.)
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larger font and chapter heading, which makes the text even more inviting. Trinklein presents the book as a conversation, inviting the reader to stop by for a few minutes of interesting trivia, with no pressure to stay. It’s clear he had fun researching and writing the book – in his notes about the maps he warns the reader: “Don’t attempt a coup. You will fail. (But if you do, please mention this book as your inspiration. It will probably help sales.)” – and his diction only rarely crosses the line from charming to cheesy. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone. And the cover unfolds into a map! So fun.(Note: This is not a scholarly book in any way. There aren't any citations, though there is a light bibliography.)
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LibraryThing member JustinTheLibrarian
Full of great tidbits of information. Well written and arranged. Great photos. Love the humor.
LibraryThing member sarradee
This is a coffee table book but so much more. The dust jacket unfolds into a gorgeous map, the pages are beautifully illustrated. The whole presentation is just delightful. And the content is interesting and highly readable as well. Each one of the Lost States is given two pages of just how or why
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it should have become a state but didn't. There's nothing dry or boring here. Show Less
LibraryThing member msladylib
For twenty-eight years, ending in 1702, the colony of New Jersey was two separate colonies, East Jersey and West Jersey. I spent my childhood in the city of Perth Amboy, which was the colonial capital of New Jersey, and found the idea that this small state was once two separate colonies
So, I was delighted to find in the book Lost States that there have been, in the not so distant past, more ideas about again dividing New Jersey in two, this time with a border separating “South Jersey” from the rest of the state. Indeed, there is much to commend this: the southern counties are culturally rather distinct from the northern ones. Any resident can vouch for this! I doubt, however, that any plans to divide the state will come to fruition. The only upside I can see to this is an extra set of Senators in Washington, and they’d not likely agree with my politics!
This book is an amusing light-hearted romp through geography and history. The fun the author, Michael J. Trinklein, must have had in gathering his information shows in the writing. It can be inspiring, too, to encourage the reader to investigate in more detail, since the text is as much teaser as informative!
The book is visually appealing, too, with a dust jacket that opens into a map, printed to look “old,” and the pages are wider than tall, with text opposite a full page of maps or illustrations. Delightfully, it’s clothbound, without being a “special edition.” I’d definitely recommend this for middle and high school libraries, and public libraries. It also can make a great coffee table book, for it lends itself to browsing.
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fascinating. The Proprietary House, which was the Governor’s Mansion, still stands there.So, I was delighted to find in the book Lost States that there have been, in the not so distant past, more ideas about again dividing New Jersey in two, this time with a border separating “South Jersey” from the rest of the state. Indeed, there is much to commend this: the southern counties are culturally rather distinct from the northern ones. Any resident can vouch for this! I doubt, however, that any plans to divide the state will come to fruition. The only upside I can see to this is an extra set of Senators in Washington, and they’d not likely agree with my politics!
This book is an amusing light-hearted romp through geography and history. The fun the author, Michael J. Trinklein, must have had in gathering his information shows in the writing. It can be inspiring, too, to encourage the reader to investigate in more detail, since the text is as much teaser as informative!
The book is visually appealing, too, with a dust jacket that opens into a map, printed to look “old,” and the pages are wider than tall, with text opposite a full page of maps or illustrations. Delightfully, it’s clothbound, without being a “special edition.” I’d definitely recommend this for middle and high school libraries, and public libraries. It also can make a great coffee table book, for it lends itself to browsing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member CSMcMahon
I love this book. It's the perfect blend of history, trivia, and snark. The illustrations are gorgeous. The writing is hilarious. It makes for a quick read with a map on one side of the page and the related story on the other side. One of my favorite things about the book is that the cover actually
As a life-long resident of Illinois, I was surprised (and amused) to read about the lost state of Forgottonia, whose name sounds like it originated in a Marx Brothers movie.
This book will have a spot on my coffee table for quite some time.
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unfolds to another map. As a life-long resident of Illinois, I was surprised (and amused) to read about the lost state of Forgottonia, whose name sounds like it originated in a Marx Brothers movie.
This book will have a spot on my coffee table for quite some time.
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LibraryThing member MiscMayzee
The book Lost States was absolute fun from beginning to end. When I found out I would be receiving Lost States from Library Thing I expected to find a book full of trivia and unknown facts, but this book was a lot more.
The author, Michael J. Trinklein has a really well-developed funny bone that
I found this book a complete joy and actually sent it on to my older brother because he loves fun fact as well!
The author, Michael J. Trinklein has a really well-developed funny bone that
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made learning all of these facts fun. I found this book a complete joy and actually sent it on to my older brother because he loves fun fact as well!
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LibraryThing member calbookman
Simply put I read this book all the way through in one sitting and read it again. Then I told my father about it and then recommended it to the local teachers I know. It is a great read about state history decidedly not in the history books. The author has a winning sense of humor and style that
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captures the ideas for each entry succinctly. I am thinking of donating this book to the local library just so they are sure to have a copy. Any person who has taken US history should have had this book as a text. There were only two mistakes in the whole of the book and they were editorial in nature (mis-spellings etc) but noticeable. The best part was reading about the almost-state that some distant relatives came to the US to populate and establish. Congratulations to Trinklein on a wonderful book. Show Less
LibraryThing member blueyss82
This book is super fun!! I love reading true bits of American history. The way this book is organized you can read a little here and a little there. It's the perfect coffee table book and I can see it being a fun family book on roadtrips. It would also be an excellent book for American History or
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Geography teachers. As someone who makes maps, all of the old historical maps included with the stories made it even more fascinating. I throughly enjoyed reading this book and as I have it sitting out I will be reading it again! Show Less
LibraryThing member kcarmack
Fun book! It's not a lengthy examination with lots of heavy facts. The graphics are great & the information is delivered in an entertaining manner.
This would be a great book for a history buff of any age.
This would be a great book for a history buff of any age.
LibraryThing member rosethorne1
Received this book from the Early Reviewers. I read it on a long plane trip between Alaska and the East Coast. While I wouldn't cite it as a source in an academic paper it was a fun and entertaining read. I will be putting it on my living room table for others to enjoy, once my table is delivered
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of course! It was beautifully illustrated on the cover, and the map was very detailed and colorful. I wish there had been better annotation of his sources though, so I could do my own research on the content a little easier. None the less, an enjoyable book all around. Show Less
LibraryThing member sweans
The content of this book is certainly interesting and Trinklein has a great sense of humor. The illustrations are lovely. A high school history fan would probably like this book. However, since the states that never made it are listed alphabetically, the flow of the book is a bit jarring.
LibraryThing member KilroyWasHere
To be honest, when I first saw this I was expecting one of those quasi-history books that're long on cuteness and short on facts. Lost States bears absolutely no resemblance to that sort of thing.
Over 157 pages, Trinklein goes through a rich and diverse list of areas, both within and without
If you want to know more about the history of Franklin, Trans-Oconee, State X, Greenland, or Taiwan--and who doesn't?--you should definitely make sure to pick up Lost States.
Over 157 pages, Trinklein goes through a rich and diverse list of areas, both within and without
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current US boundaries, that were proposed or came ever-so-close to statehood at some point in America's history. Trinklein's depth of research really shows in his writing, which takes a playful tone without being too light-hearted. The design is fantastic, too, with at least one page of this oversized book being given over to maps of the prospective states and commonwealths.If you want to know more about the history of Franklin, Trans-Oconee, State X, Greenland, or Taiwan--and who doesn't?--you should definitely make sure to pick up Lost States.
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LibraryThing member Lirleni
A wonderful coffee-table style book. It gives little historical tidbits about each failed state proposal, each getting 2 pages (one text, one map). The proposals range from seriously made ones to semi-humourous ones, and from preColonial to as recent as the 1990s.
LibraryThing member SycoticMuskrat
Interesting history of the states that could have been. Lots of interesting facts and images help guide you through the book. The cover folds out into a nice sized map along with more information.
LibraryThing member akmargie
Lots of overlapping information with another state book, How the States Got Their shape but in a more humorous, quippy tone. The maps and graphics were very helpful and interesting. I also have some new historical figures to research.