If you like history, you probably feel comfortable in a discussion about most Western European states including their history. But how much do you really know about the real foundations upon which the modern states were built? Norman Davies has put together a book which is exhaustive in detail about those communities, smaller states and some greater states which are bypassed in most history courses. What role did the Kingdom of the Rock play in the formation of Scotland? Did you know that Prussia was once a fiefdom of Poland (a fact which most German history tends to miss)? How about the long history of Burgundia which covered over thirteen hundred years and yet is seldom taught? Of course, you do not want to miss the history of Litva which was a Grand Duchy with Kings.
These an over a dozen other lost and forgotten states are covered by Davies. The detail he provides is amazing and the notes I took will provide me with those bits of useless information which is always fun and handy to throw into a conversation when you need it (normally once or twice a year). As you read the book however, once again you realize that there is little new in the human condition and that nothing is permanent. Formerly powerful states are reduced to the back pages of history (if they are lucky) while other states are totally obliviated as mankind moves forward. But his detail also brings us a better understanding of the challenges we face in that they are not new. He brings to life and to our world the fact that the same basic forces, fears, and drives have existed throughout history and we learn the cost of failure to adapt and face those challenges.
This is an exhaustive historical read, in fact, I cannot remember a book dealing in such detail and depth. It boggles the mind to think of the research and organization that went into this book. You will often find an historian who will write two or more books on a given country or general topic but covering the history of fifteen different states from the 4th century to the fall of the Soviet Union is a major undertaking. For the fanatic, there are nearly fifty pages of footnotes citing hundreds of books in several languages. This is probably not a book that one would readily pick up to read a second time, but it is a book that one would read to lose oneself in an obscure time and place, as a break from the world of today.
