Customer Reviews:
 Absolutely delicious, a delight. December 24, 2007
I had to limit myself to one chapter a night, and wanted more when I finished it. What a light touch Harry Campbell has, making gentle fun of the serious business of names and their significance. Wars have been launched over names and their ownership, elections have been lost, and identities discarded. Every page has his gentle, whimsical humour, rendering clear the intricacies of the past naming of places, never becoming heavy, always bringing a little smile. If you like place, if an atlas is your natural territory, this is the book for you.
Kenneth Thompson, Tour Leader, Royal Scottish Geographical Society.
Ideal Christmas present! November 21, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What a delightful book! It has solved the problem of 'What can I give my intelligent and well-read friends that they won't already know?'
Harry Campbell's account of 'the place names that history left behind' manages to be entertaining, informative and highly readable all at once. It is full of surprises and challenges to the reader. Where is Illyria? Is there such a place as Pepys Island? Central Region? And what about San Seriffe? Keep your wits about you when you dip into this fascinating collection of little known geographical facts or you might miss a gem!
This little book is beautifully produced, in a style befitting the contents. The dust jacket attracts the eye, while the hard cover speaks of serious reading. Add to that a foreword by Alexander McCall Smith, who clearly enjoys it as much as I do. It deserves to become well-known.
Witty and informative November 3, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a delightful book, one that manages to impart geographical information and make you smile (or laugh) at the same time. Campbell tells us about favourite placenames such as Ceylon and Rangoon, but also about less familiar places such as Henpeck and Pleasant Island. What makes this book a little special, however, is the combination of very interesting facts expressed with gentle understated humour. This is learning worn with a smile. I loved every page.
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