| |  | Books : How the States Got Their Shapes |  | | | | | | | | | |
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.3
EAN: 9780061431388
ISBN: 0061431389
Label: Collins
Manufacturer: Collins
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: June 01, 2008
Publisher: Collins
Release Date: May 27, 2008
Sales Rank: 580
Studio: Collins
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Why does Oklahoma have that panhandle? Did someone make a mistake?
We are so familiar with the map of the United States that our state borders seem as much a part of nature as mountains and rivers. Even the oddities—the entire state of Maryland(!)—have become so engrained that our map might as well be a giant jigsaw puzzle designed by Divine Providence. But that's where the real mystery begins. Every edge of the familiar wooden jigsaw pieces of our childhood represents a revealing moment of history and of, well, humans drawing lines in the sand.
How the States Got Their Shapes is the first book to tackle why our state lines are where they are. Here are the stories behind the stories, right down to the tiny northward jog at the eastern end of Tennessee and the teeny-tiny (and little known) parts of Delaware that are not attached to Delaware but to New Jersey.
How the States Got Their Shapes examines:
- Why West Virginia has a finger creeping up the side of Pennsylvania
- Why Michigan has an upper peninsula that isn't attached to Michigan
- Why some Hawaiian islands are not Hawaii
- Why Texas and California are so outsized, especially when so many Midwestern states are nearly identical in size
Packed with fun oddities and trivia, this entertaining guide also reveals the major fault lines of American history, from ideological intrigues and religious intolerance to major territorial acquisitions. Adding the fresh lens of local geographic disputes, military skirmishes, and land grabs, Mark Stein shows how the seemingly haphazard puzzle pieces of our nation fit together perfectly.
Customer Reviews Average Rating: 
Rating: - Borders all over the map
I live in the panhandle of Connecticut and have always been fascinated about the vast irregularity of the borders of most of the United States. Author Mark Stein's informative new book, "How the States Got Their Shapes" is a quick report as to how each state's boundaries came into play...and there are dozens of different reasons why.
Two things stand out in Stein's book...the shaping of many of the eastern states (due to charters by England's Charles I and II) and the western ones by ... Read More
Rating:  - Disappointing
This book is somewhat interesting, but overall it is very disappointing.Light on substance, heavy on repetition, and full of errors.
It quickly glosses over major historical events to race through each state's borders. The choice of dealing with the states alphabetically is odd and leads to reiteration of the same facts over and over without deeper explanation.The French and Indian War is mentioned 16 times, but the causes of it are never described.
Errors are frequent. ... Read More
Rating: - How The States Got Their Shapes
Very interesting information presented in an easy to read format.Pick it up and put it down, read selectively, it's all fun and fascinating.
Rating:  - Thanks Mark Stein!
It has always been a mystery to me how states wound up with the boundaries that they currently have.Of particular interest was my home state of Arkansas with the notch at the top and bottom corner along with the bent line on its western border with Arkansas. This book finally laid my questions to rest.
Rather than reading the book from front to back, I skipped around to the states I have lived in the past.My current home of Texas made riveting reading as I learned of the wars and disputes ... Read More
Rating: - How the States Got Thier Shapes is a must read
This is a book that should be read by everyone. It is not only fascinating with the twists and turns of events that shaped each state, but teaches so much about our history as a growing nation. For me it is especially delightful since no one who was involved those many years ago could have imagined what those shapes would represent in the book The Little Man In the Map: With Clues To Remember All 50 States See how those shapes created by a myriad of forces have now become the simple clues to remember the name, ... Read More
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