How the States Got Their Shapes

---

---

Editorial reviews

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

review by: Author of Wingtips with Spurs date: 2008-08-23 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 that defined the boundary. Particularly, why Oklahoma has a "panhandle".

The history and associated conflicts - especially those of the slave states - makes for a fantastic read. As an example, I enjoyed the way California basically told the federal government what they would and would not do. How things have changed!

The subject may sound a bit mundane to some but I can assure the potential reader that it is very interesting and provides well-researched facts that you will carry with you on your next road trip. Thanks Mark Stein. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of Wingtips with Spurs

---

review by: date: 2008-08-19 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, shape and location of the states.

---

review by: date: 2008-08-17 rating:
Fun and enlightening!
I'm a geographer and cartographer and I endorse this book! My only quibble is that I wish there were more footnotes/bibliography, but what the heck--this book is pure fun!!

---

review by: date: 2008-08-15 rating:
A must read for US History and Geography students
How the States Got Their Shapes

It would be easy if oceans and rivers formed all of the boundaries. But they don't, and author Stein provides a captivating and inciteful look into the physical and political forces that forged the shape of each of our 50 states. I expect everyone who picks it up to flip immediately to their home state, followed shortly thereafter by "boy, I didn't know that"! If this text would have been in print when I was learning US history, I might have paid a bit more attention.


review by: date: 2008-08-15 rating:
Very interesting book
I haven't had a chance to read much of the book I ordered but it appears to be very informative and interesting. It will be the type of book I will use for reference for years to come. The book was in perfect condition when it arrived and it came quickly after I ordered it.

---

Similar products

Hometown Revelations - How America's cities, towns, and states acquired their names
Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States (New York Review Books Classics)
A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World
America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation
Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America

---

Similar categories

Books . Subjects . History . Americas . United States . General
Books . Subjects . History . Historical Study . Social History
Books . Subjects . Nonfiction . Social Sciences . Human Geography
Books . Subjects . Travel . United States . Regions . General
Books . Refinements . Binding (binding) . Hardcover
Books . Refinements . Format (feature_browse-bin) . Printed Books

---