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The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World
A wide-ranging journey through the history of borders and an exploration of their role in shaping our world today.
Since the earliest known marker denoting the edge of one land and the beginning of the next—a stone column inscribed with Sumerian cuneiform—borders have been imagined, mapped, moved, and fought over. In The Edge of the Plain , James Crawford skillfully blends history, travel writing, and reportage to trace these borderlines throughout history and across the globe.
The role of borders extends beyond specific sites of conflict. On the largest scale, borders define the limits of empire—the two walls in Britain that once represented the northwestern edge of the Roman Empire; the mythological eastern gate supposedly closed off by Alexander the Great; China's virtual "Great Firewall." On the smallest, human scale, cell walls are the last physical barrier against disease, after lines of quarantine have failed.
Borders are as old as human civilization, and focal points for today's colliding forces of nationalism, climate change, globalization, and mass migration. The Edge of the Plain illuminates these lines of separation past and present, how we define them—and how they define us.
Since the earliest known marker denoting the edge of one land and the beginning of the next—a stone column inscribed with Sumerian cuneiform—borders have been imagined, mapped, moved, and fought over. In The Edge of the Plain , James Crawford skillfully blends history, travel writing, and reportage to trace these borderlines throughout history and across the globe.
The role of borders extends beyond specific sites of conflict. On the largest scale, borders define the limits of empire—the two walls in Britain that once represented the northwestern edge of the Roman Empire; the mythological eastern gate supposedly closed off by Alexander the Great; China's virtual "Great Firewall." On the smallest, human scale, cell walls are the last physical barrier against disease, after lines of quarantine have failed.
Borders are as old as human civilization, and focal points for today's colliding forces of nationalism, climate change, globalization, and mass migration. The Edge of the Plain illuminates these lines of separation past and present, how we define them—and how they define us.
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First published August 4, 2022
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About the author
James Crawford
6 books9 followersJames Crawford is a writer and broadcaster. His first major book, Fallen Glory: The Lives and Deaths of History’s Greatest Buildings was shortlisted for the Saltire Literary Award for best non-fiction. His other books include Who Built Scotland: 25 Journeys in Search of a Nation, Scotland’s Landscapes and Aerofilms: A History of Britain from Above. The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World was published in 2022.
Crawford wrote and presented three series of the BBC One landmark documentary series Scotland from the Sky, which was Shortlisted as ‘Best Factual Series’ at the Royal Television Society Awards Scotland. In 2019 he was named as the Archive and Records Association’s first-ever ‘Explore Your Archives’ Ambassador. He lives in Edinburgh.
Crawford wrote and presented three series of the BBC One landmark documentary series Scotland from the Sky, which was Shortlisted as ‘Best Factual Series’ at the Royal Television Society Awards Scotland. In 2019 he was named as the Archive and Records Association’s first-ever ‘Explore Your Archives’ Ambassador. He lives in Edinburgh.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
December 10, 2023
I've been enjoying the book until I reached the bit on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Crawford refers to it only in passing, but he still managed to get it so wrong that it made me question the rest of the book.
Crawford claims there was a civil war between East and West of Ukraine back in 2014. However, it is a widely known fact that separatist rebels began popping up in eastern Ukraine shortly after Russia had invaded and annexed Crimea, where supposed Crimean separatists actually turned out to be unmarked Russian special forces.
Even if supposed Eastern rebels were locals (and some of them, of course, were), still they were armed and supported by Russia's government. One of the most important rebel leaders, Igor "Strelkov" Girkin, is a Russian citizen and military veteran who retired from Russia's internal security services just weeks before he began leading the rebels, who are widely thought and in many cases proved to be unmarked Russian special forces.
In mid-August 2014 Russia escalated from covertly supporting the rebels to overtly invading with military troops. Russia denies it is invading, but the evidence is overwhelming.
So, if Crawford can't get this right, calling the Russian-Ukrainian war a Civil war between its Eastern and Western parts (by the way...where does Central - the biggest part of the country, stand in this "war"?), then I can't find reliable everything else he wrote. To me this one phrase discredits the rest of the book.
Crawford claims there was a civil war between East and West of Ukraine back in 2014. However, it is a widely known fact that separatist rebels began popping up in eastern Ukraine shortly after Russia had invaded and annexed Crimea, where supposed Crimean separatists actually turned out to be unmarked Russian special forces.
Even if supposed Eastern rebels were locals (and some of them, of course, were), still they were armed and supported by Russia's government. One of the most important rebel leaders, Igor "Strelkov" Girkin, is a Russian citizen and military veteran who retired from Russia's internal security services just weeks before he began leading the rebels, who are widely thought and in many cases proved to be unmarked Russian special forces.
In mid-August 2014 Russia escalated from covertly supporting the rebels to overtly invading with military troops. Russia denies it is invading, but the evidence is overwhelming.
So, if Crawford can't get this right, calling the Russian-Ukrainian war a Civil war between its Eastern and Western parts (by the way...where does Central - the biggest part of the country, stand in this "war"?), then I can't find reliable everything else he wrote. To me this one phrase discredits the rest of the book.
August 1, 2022
I don’t usually read non fiction but I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover of The Edge of the Plain, and when I saw it was by James Crawford, I knew I had to have it!
I really enjoyed both James Crawford’s TV series Scotland From The Sky and his previous book Fallen Glory, and The Edge of The Plain is just as impressive.
This book really is a work of art both inside and out. It’s exceptionally well written and is crammed with beautiful pictures, historical snapshots, witty and often poignant anecdotes and fascinating insights into the global, social, cultural, economic, and technological impact on global borders throughout history. Crawford’s meticulous research shines through on every page and it’s a captivating, eye opening, and thought provoking read.
If you’d like to journey through the history of borders or just fancy reading something different, then I can’t recommend The Edge of the Plain enough.
I really enjoyed both James Crawford’s TV series Scotland From The Sky and his previous book Fallen Glory, and The Edge of The Plain is just as impressive.
This book really is a work of art both inside and out. It’s exceptionally well written and is crammed with beautiful pictures, historical snapshots, witty and often poignant anecdotes and fascinating insights into the global, social, cultural, economic, and technological impact on global borders throughout history. Crawford’s meticulous research shines through on every page and it’s a captivating, eye opening, and thought provoking read.
If you’d like to journey through the history of borders or just fancy reading something different, then I can’t recommend The Edge of the Plain enough.
September 20, 2025
James Crawford is a Scottish writer and presenter; his 2022 book The Edge of the Plain explores how geographic borders have sociologic impacts. He opens the book with an interesting personal anecdote: ancestors on both sides of his family emigrated from Scotland to the United States, but neither group found satisfaction and both ended up moving back to Scotland. Thus, Crawford has spent a lot of time wondering what his life would have been like had the reverse journey not taken place.
Unfortunately, though I generally enjoy books of this genre (see further reading below for books I've completed and enjoyed), the rest of the book became rather tedious for me - perhaps it was the narration which to me had a somniferous quality. After several stops and starts, I DNFed at 54%.
Further reading: the interplay between geography and sociology
Adriatic: A Concert of Civilizations at the End of the Modern Age by Robert Kaplan | my review
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics by Tim Marshall
The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World by Tim Marshall
The Age of Walls: How Barriers Between Nations Are Changing Our World (3) by Tim Marshall
My statistics:
Book 289 for 2025
Book 2215 cumulatively
Unfortunately, though I generally enjoy books of this genre (see further reading below for books I've completed and enjoyed), the rest of the book became rather tedious for me - perhaps it was the narration which to me had a somniferous quality. After several stops and starts, I DNFed at 54%.
Further reading: the interplay between geography and sociology
Adriatic: A Concert of Civilizations at the End of the Modern Age by Robert Kaplan | my review
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics by Tim Marshall
The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World by Tim Marshall
The Age of Walls: How Barriers Between Nations Are Changing Our World (3) by Tim Marshall
My statistics:
Book 289 for 2025
Book 2215 cumulatively
May 16, 2023
The first two chapters of this book captivated me, and the rest never quite lived up to my high hopes.
The first chapter concerns Sápmi, the Sámi homeland, a land with no borders, an ancient land, yet still living, still subsisting, but within the confines of four modern nation states.
Crawford considers whether a nation can survive without land or territory.
For a good part of the chapter he interviews Hans Ragnar Mathisen, who in 1975, took a year to create a map of Sápmi.
The second concerned a place close to home, Hadrian’s Wall, and the earthwork and furrows that remain of the Antonine Wall, that ran between the Firths of Forth and Clyde.
The Antonine wall, constructed by Antonius after Hadrian’s death, was abandoned after only 70 years, so hassled he was by the northern tribes.
Crawford examines the significance of the walls since.
Waiting for the Barbarians - C. P. Cavafy
For the rest of the book there is too much time spent with the US-Mexico border.
Only in the last pages does Crawford get to where I was hoping he would, the effect that climate change will have on borders, or more specifically, on migration.
He begins by discussing the case of Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean, probably the first nation that will be consumed by the seas. Their population, of 12,000 people, will at some stage be 'climate refugees'.
50% of the world's population, more than 600 million people, live less than 10 metres above sea level.
As much as we hear that something must be done about climate change, Crawford comments, we hear that something must be done about migration. Far-right parties in Europe are frighteningly popular, with a gradual shift from denying the impacts of climate change, to an emphasis on the dangers global warming presents to national interests.
These last pages deserve much more of a presence in the book. Their brief mention serves only to tantalise, and raise many issues that need examining.
This book is good, but it could have been so much better.
The first chapter concerns Sápmi, the Sámi homeland, a land with no borders, an ancient land, yet still living, still subsisting, but within the confines of four modern nation states.
Crawford considers whether a nation can survive without land or territory.
For a good part of the chapter he interviews Hans Ragnar Mathisen, who in 1975, took a year to create a map of Sápmi.
The second concerned a place close to home, Hadrian’s Wall, and the earthwork and furrows that remain of the Antonine Wall, that ran between the Firths of Forth and Clyde.
Why had an empire as mighty as Rome built an endpoint at all? First came one wall and then twenty years later and a hundred miles north, came another. When is a wall not a wall? When it’s a sign of a profound, existential crisis.
The Antonine wall, constructed by Antonius after Hadrian’s death, was abandoned after only 70 years, so hassled he was by the northern tribes.
Crawford examines the significance of the walls since.
And some people have arrived
from the borderlands,
and said there are no more
barabarians anymore.
And now what’s to become of us
without barbarians.
Those people were a solution of a sort.
Waiting for the Barbarians - C. P. Cavafy
For the rest of the book there is too much time spent with the US-Mexico border.
Only in the last pages does Crawford get to where I was hoping he would, the effect that climate change will have on borders, or more specifically, on migration.
He begins by discussing the case of Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean, probably the first nation that will be consumed by the seas. Their population, of 12,000 people, will at some stage be 'climate refugees'.
50% of the world's population, more than 600 million people, live less than 10 metres above sea level.
As much as we hear that something must be done about climate change, Crawford comments, we hear that something must be done about migration. Far-right parties in Europe are frighteningly popular, with a gradual shift from denying the impacts of climate change, to an emphasis on the dangers global warming presents to national interests.
These last pages deserve much more of a presence in the book. Their brief mention serves only to tantalise, and raise many issues that need examining.
This book is good, but it could have been so much better.
January 2, 2023
The moment I bumped into this book on the Goodreads site I knew it was a “must read” for me and for anyone who has an interest in the social sciences. So, I give a big “thank you” to the publisher for the advanced copy that I received. I enjoyed every page!
The book’s premise is to explore the borders that define the world around us and the effects they have on our world. This is certainly an interesting topic, but Crawford makes it doubly so by looking at borders from a large variety of different angles. What exactly is a border? He pushes past the more obvious definition of the word to present the reader with not only boundaries that mark the edges of countries and empires, but that also define natural landscapes, virtual environments, and even hinder the viruses that enter our own bodies.
When one thinks of the word “border” there are some obvious choices – Hadrian’s Wall, the U.S. southern border, Israel-Palestine's shifting boundaries – and these are all included. But there are also some topics that wouldn’t immediately come to mind. Still, whether familiar or not, Crawford digs into each topic from an honest and interesting perspective. He tells the stories of these borders through the eyes of the humans who know them and interact with them. He makes something that should be just a simple line on a map into something that people care about and, because of this, every topic he chooses grabs the attention.
Possibly the topic I enjoyed most is the section on the Sápmi people and how the political borders that now divide the countries of Scandinavia are destroying the traditional reindeer herding routes and, quite possibly, a culture that is thousands of years old along with them. But I can honestly say there wasn’t one chapter in this book that I didn’t enjoy and that didn’t make me think about the way we divide our world in a new light.
This is a good book – read it!
The book’s premise is to explore the borders that define the world around us and the effects they have on our world. This is certainly an interesting topic, but Crawford makes it doubly so by looking at borders from a large variety of different angles. What exactly is a border? He pushes past the more obvious definition of the word to present the reader with not only boundaries that mark the edges of countries and empires, but that also define natural landscapes, virtual environments, and even hinder the viruses that enter our own bodies.
When one thinks of the word “border” there are some obvious choices – Hadrian’s Wall, the U.S. southern border, Israel-Palestine's shifting boundaries – and these are all included. But there are also some topics that wouldn’t immediately come to mind. Still, whether familiar or not, Crawford digs into each topic from an honest and interesting perspective. He tells the stories of these borders through the eyes of the humans who know them and interact with them. He makes something that should be just a simple line on a map into something that people care about and, because of this, every topic he chooses grabs the attention.
Possibly the topic I enjoyed most is the section on the Sápmi people and how the political borders that now divide the countries of Scandinavia are destroying the traditional reindeer herding routes and, quite possibly, a culture that is thousands of years old along with them. But I can honestly say there wasn’t one chapter in this book that I didn’t enjoy and that didn’t make me think about the way we divide our world in a new light.
This is a good book – read it!
November 7, 2024
I enjoyed the reflective tone of the book and learned a thing or two from it.
October 28, 2023
Visiting boundary moments through time and space on our beautiful planet, aspects of borders and setting boundaries are visited, looked at and considered.
The author's narration in the audiobook is engaging and immediately took me onto the journey and the places we were going to visit, be they far back in the past or recent or current events.
One check I always do with nonfiction books is to see how equally or unequally male and female point of views are included in the pages such as including male and female scientists, knowledge holders, interlocutors and/or where/how male/female is represented throughout the book.
With regards to this question, this book offers a male, European centred view, that goes down the male lineage, referring male scientists, male interlocutors, leaving any contribution of women out of the words, out of the picture.
The author's narration in the audiobook is engaging and immediately took me onto the journey and the places we were going to visit, be they far back in the past or recent or current events.
One check I always do with nonfiction books is to see how equally or unequally male and female point of views are included in the pages such as including male and female scientists, knowledge holders, interlocutors and/or where/how male/female is represented throughout the book.
With regards to this question, this book offers a male, European centred view, that goes down the male lineage, referring male scientists, male interlocutors, leaving any contribution of women out of the words, out of the picture.
July 7, 2023
Did not finish this one. Started with a lot of promise, but I lost interest by the third chapter.
June 7, 2023
4 stars. This book was very different from my expectations. I thought it would be filled with international politics, but instead it is filled with stories of how borders (mostly political) inspire art, affect real people, and are subjected to climate change, roughly in that order.
The Edge of the Plain is very much an intersection of art and political geography. Crawford draws references from (or interviews directly) defiant Sámi indigenous sculptors and artistic cartographers, graffiti artists Banksy and Cake$, writers Anthony Burgess and Mary Shelley, poet T.S. Elliot, as well as other photographers, writers, and sculptors.
Crawford also discusses the effect of physical borders on wildlife and conservation, devoting some attention to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. These physical borders (or where the authorities move them) cause problems not just for humans, but also for incredibly sensitive ecosystems. One national park employee even pointed out that, if the government can first "take out" the environmentally sensitive areas, the environmentalists will have nothing left to oppose. This is the theory for why Organ Pipe and similar areas were targeted as some of the earliest places to put Trump's wall along the US-Mexico border.
Climate refugees are expected to exacerbate immigration crises along many borders as well. Armed with this knowledge, some political leaders are preemptively denying climate change, saying it is simply an excuse to eventually welcome immigrants and that there is no such thing as a climate refugee. Unfortunately, as climate changes, animals move, and in many cases, the people who rely on these animals must then also move-- frequently being forced to cross borders to hunt/farm/fish, and then return to their home. At some point, however, "home" may become completely unlivable.
Among all of this are stories of every day people, coping with life complicated by borders they had no say in. The Edge of the Plain ultimately brings the complexity of these borders into sharp view.
The Edge of the Plain is very much an intersection of art and political geography. Crawford draws references from (or interviews directly) defiant Sámi indigenous sculptors and artistic cartographers, graffiti artists Banksy and Cake$, writers Anthony Burgess and Mary Shelley, poet T.S. Elliot, as well as other photographers, writers, and sculptors.
Crawford also discusses the effect of physical borders on wildlife and conservation, devoting some attention to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. These physical borders (or where the authorities move them) cause problems not just for humans, but also for incredibly sensitive ecosystems. One national park employee even pointed out that, if the government can first "take out" the environmentally sensitive areas, the environmentalists will have nothing left to oppose. This is the theory for why Organ Pipe and similar areas were targeted as some of the earliest places to put Trump's wall along the US-Mexico border.
Climate refugees are expected to exacerbate immigration crises along many borders as well. Armed with this knowledge, some political leaders are preemptively denying climate change, saying it is simply an excuse to eventually welcome immigrants and that there is no such thing as a climate refugee. Unfortunately, as climate changes, animals move, and in many cases, the people who rely on these animals must then also move-- frequently being forced to cross borders to hunt/farm/fish, and then return to their home. At some point, however, "home" may become completely unlivable.
Among all of this are stories of every day people, coping with life complicated by borders they had no say in. The Edge of the Plain ultimately brings the complexity of these borders into sharp view.
January 19, 2024
Listened to audiobook and now bought the actual book, as the thought provoking ideas and narrative meant I wanted to have and pick up again and again. And I also wanted to check references and historical ‘facts’. The chapters re Trumps wall against Mexico were shocking- I had no idea this was how it was and Crawford theory that this was meant to cause naximum harm to migrants and also how it impacted some of the most beautiful and bio diverse sacred sites in the south led me to go back to my favourite author - Stefano Mancuso in The Nation of Plants - where he voices his thoughts on freedom of movement for all living creatures. Borders not only are built ostensibly to keep others out, but keep their own inhabitants in! Reminds me also of the arrogance of the British during the war with the famous announcement ‘Fog in the Channel… Europe cut off’. It all depends on whose viewpoint.
The author argues for global co-operation and immediate action re climate change- where the issue of borders and migration will, he argues, in the next 50 years cause untold human misery.
In this account Crawford reports on the activities of a Spanish press photographer who spent 2years travelling Europes borders and reporting on the rise of fences/walls/ultra right politics- and the fear we have of migration. As he says ‘we box ourselves in’! A book to add to any collection of works referencing the insanity of our political and social systems leading us inexorably to the edge of the cliff, even if not actually pushing us over that edge…. Which is arguable.
If nothing else, this book will make you think about these most important issues of this century.
The author argues for global co-operation and immediate action re climate change- where the issue of borders and migration will, he argues, in the next 50 years cause untold human misery.
In this account Crawford reports on the activities of a Spanish press photographer who spent 2years travelling Europes borders and reporting on the rise of fences/walls/ultra right politics- and the fear we have of migration. As he says ‘we box ourselves in’! A book to add to any collection of works referencing the insanity of our political and social systems leading us inexorably to the edge of the cliff, even if not actually pushing us over that edge…. Which is arguable.
If nothing else, this book will make you think about these most important issues of this century.
October 9, 2024
This is a beautiful dedication to borders as cultural artefacts - how they have been shaped and upheld by us, and how we continue to be affected by them. As the author potently summarised this relationship, we are the ones "who invent the line, who draw it, who design it, who shape it, who argue over its route and what it is for." I enjoyed the discussions on the inter-relationship between borders and society / art / national identity / literature / inequality / politics (of course). You are then invited to consider whether our existing conceptualisation of borders as apparently immutable (read: melting borders along Italy and its neighbours), enforceable and absolute is serving us today, or will do so in the future.
Just two areas for improvement:
(i) I think the author covered great depth across various case studies but I wished there were more examples set outside Europe/Americas. We don't want neocolonialism, do we? /s
(ii) Towards the end of the book, the point about alternatives to existing mentality toward border was mentioned multiple times, and the last two chapters suggested vaguely possible alternatives (i.e., the Great Green Wall, the Alps as a common area to be crossed and not to be cut up), but I would have gladly read one more chapter that dives strictly into these hypothetical alternatives - or even historical alternatives - just to round up the book's various discussion points with a more constructive edge.
Just two areas for improvement:
(i) I think the author covered great depth across various case studies but I wished there were more examples set outside Europe/Americas. We don't want neocolonialism, do we? /s
(ii) Towards the end of the book, the point about alternatives to existing mentality toward border was mentioned multiple times, and the last two chapters suggested vaguely possible alternatives (i.e., the Great Green Wall, the Alps as a common area to be crossed and not to be cut up), but I would have gladly read one more chapter that dives strictly into these hypothetical alternatives - or even historical alternatives - just to round up the book's various discussion points with a more constructive edge.
February 22, 2023
This was an interesting book. I picked this book up on a whim from the new books section at my library because I am someone who cares deeply about abolishing borders and enabling the free movement of all peoples. I was worried this book would veer into basic lib nonsense, and at times it does, but it does spend quite a lot of time reflecting on the inherent violence of borders and how it oppresses the most marginalized. I particularly appreciated the chapter on the border between Israel and Occupied Palestine, that was the chapter I was most worried for and it ended up being a fairly accurate reflection of the horrors of the Israeli occupation.
I think my biggest issue is this book is mainly just reflective essays and "thoughts from places", but it lacked a meatier punch on the substance of the issues and what needs to be done. Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place for that, but it holds me back from praising this book any further. I don't really need a white lib to go to the Sahel and look pensively at the ongoing horrors French colonialism did to the region; I kinda need the white libs to give a shit about ending these atrocities. It's for this reason that I ding this book a bit, because it lacks any galvanizing segment that would drive the reader to do anything more than simply be witness to the injustices it describes.
I think my biggest issue is this book is mainly just reflective essays and "thoughts from places", but it lacked a meatier punch on the substance of the issues and what needs to be done. Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place for that, but it holds me back from praising this book any further. I don't really need a white lib to go to the Sahel and look pensively at the ongoing horrors French colonialism did to the region; I kinda need the white libs to give a shit about ending these atrocities. It's for this reason that I ding this book a bit, because it lacks any galvanizing segment that would drive the reader to do anything more than simply be witness to the injustices it describes.
December 26, 2023
Examining various stories of how humanity erects – and resurrects – our commitment to the dividing lines that borders represent. Crawford accomplishes through a wide-ranging definition of what borders look like: the ‘language’ border of Sumerian cuneiform, the ‘lost’ borders of Mexico, the shifting borders of a melting glacier between Austria and Italy, and the seemingly endless generational dialogue of Israeli-Palestinian terra firma.
The book is incredibly timely, and should be considered, especially as climate disruption alters the ways in which peoples will move over the course of the 21st Century. This is a topic I’ve been fascinated by for several years now, and Crawford’s questions, research, and presentation of the issues surrounding border creation and transmogrification are an excellent entry to the growing canon of books on human migration in our time.
4 stars. In writing this review, I don’t want to give too much away. Pick it up and consider it. The issues it discusses are too important to avoid considering.
The book is incredibly timely, and should be considered, especially as climate disruption alters the ways in which peoples will move over the course of the 21st Century. This is a topic I’ve been fascinated by for several years now, and Crawford’s questions, research, and presentation of the issues surrounding border creation and transmogrification are an excellent entry to the growing canon of books on human migration in our time.
4 stars. In writing this review, I don’t want to give too much away. Pick it up and consider it. The issues it discusses are too important to avoid considering.
April 1, 2024
The author wax poetics about different political and geographical borders while also throwing in an essay about skin as a border for the human body against outside invaders. Despite the variety of borders discussed, everyone the author interviewed has basically the same opinion on borders -- they are bad for human flourishing. They are also hard to control, hard to determine, and constantly fluctuating. So basically having a border doesn't make sense. The author doesn't go as far as stating that mankind should stop having borders, but I think the implication is pretty strong. I am puzzled over how borders could serve absolutely no good or useful purpose, given that even I as a lay reader can off the top of my head come up with several. If the author did not skew his presentation on purpose, I am also amazed at the lack of self awareness.
April 23, 2024
Several independently readable essays about Borders. I found the current stories about the Mexico-USA border very touching and interesting. As a non-American, I was not familiar with many of the problems around that border. The chapter about the Palestinian territory was hard to read, although maybe that suffered under a period of poor focus from my side. Also, the historical chapters that the books start with are very imaginative.
My tip is, to first read any chapter you think you might particularly fancy. The order of reading does not matter much.
If a chapter feels boring, don't mind skipping through it. The book is a bit long for its content. But do not put it down to quickly; it picks itself up again very often.
My tip is, to first read any chapter you think you might particularly fancy. The order of reading does not matter much.
If a chapter feels boring, don't mind skipping through it. The book is a bit long for its content. But do not put it down to quickly; it picks itself up again very often.
November 4, 2024
I can’t be the only one who does not understand the choice not to include any maps in this book. It would have helped to see them side-by-side with the text instead of including descriptions.
I felt like there were two books: the author’s own reflections and more historical information and I enjoyed the latter more, while the former to me felt overburdened with details (I didn’t feel I learnt much from the author’s physical sensation of touching the ancient border stone which he could not read). Beyond all being about borders, the connection from one chapter to the next was not always obvious.
I was looking forward to the Sapmi chapter, but it I wish the author delved deeper into what the consequences of the land partition are.
I felt like there were two books: the author’s own reflections and more historical information and I enjoyed the latter more, while the former to me felt overburdened with details (I didn’t feel I learnt much from the author’s physical sensation of touching the ancient border stone which he could not read). Beyond all being about borders, the connection from one chapter to the next was not always obvious.
I was looking forward to the Sapmi chapter, but it I wish the author delved deeper into what the consequences of the land partition are.
June 20, 2025
If your mind often thinks about how the world is interconnected, this is the book for you. The book talks about the physical, social, and cultural impacts of borders. How they got there, how they’ve shifted, and how those patterns in history reappear today. What I found most fascinating about the book is that same theme was found throughout each chapter, yet each section covered a unique story or point in time in history. It covered stories I would’ve never thought would be applicable to a discussion about borders, but the connection points were made so beautifully. I learned so much and enjoyed every interview and perspective. This is a type of book that shifts your paradigm towards how you look at the world and your fellow human beings. Truly incredible.
December 4, 2023
This is a telling of history through borders. From ancient borders of the Roman empire to current borders. From unique borders on glaciers to current borders in crisis: Israel/Palestine, US/Mexico.
Crawford gives us insightful revelations about borders. With detailed interviews with experts and activists on both sides of borders, we get an in-depth picture of the people who create the border as well as the people whose lives intersect the border, and these may not be the same people. We also get some insights into how human borders impact the natural world, with Crawford giving some graphic descriptions of the destruction along the US/Mexican border with construction of a (partial) wall.
Crawford gives us insightful revelations about borders. With detailed interviews with experts and activists on both sides of borders, we get an in-depth picture of the people who create the border as well as the people whose lives intersect the border, and these may not be the same people. We also get some insights into how human borders impact the natural world, with Crawford giving some graphic descriptions of the destruction along the US/Mexican border with construction of a (partial) wall.
June 3, 2023
This book includes eleven essays that explore the notion of borders. I found that the essays that explored current issues in the news were interesting and quite strong. I ended up being disappointed in the historical essays. The greatest weakness (at least in the American version) was that on a theme that is very geographical, no maps are included, which would have made his ideas much clearer. I found the pictures that were included in the book, seemed more artsy than explanatory. It was a good book on the topic but could have been stronger.
February 14, 2024
Very interesting. The author explains many different aspects of borders. How they affect us and our thinking and our identity, and how they aren't always fixed - they change over time, and how they are fought over, and how they could be affected by climate change. As well as talking about borders between countries he also deals with our own bodies which have a border (skin) which can be invaded (by virus and bacteria) and how our immune system tries to defend our borders by fighting off the invaders. Gives lots of examples from history.
May 7, 2023
This was a great book on the borders of our minds, bodies, cells, land and stories that disrupt them.
James Crawford take a creative and narrative look through history and disciplines at how we as human have ordered ourselves through the use of borders. The conclusion leaves open questions of do natural and National borders and the way we think about borders still serve us as people living on a rapidly changing planet.
James Crawford take a creative and narrative look through history and disciplines at how we as human have ordered ourselves through the use of borders. The conclusion leaves open questions of do natural and National borders and the way we think about borders still serve us as people living on a rapidly changing planet.
May 30, 2023
A path forward?
The stories about people and survival in this book are wonderfulLy told with truth, and compassion. The message is clear that borders at the edge of the plain do define us by the environment, the geopolitical, and the human condition. There is hope for people but we need to be conscious of our impact and our response. The final chapter about trees and a living boundary provides a great wrap-up the messages in the book.
The stories about people and survival in this book are wonderfulLy told with truth, and compassion. The message is clear that borders at the edge of the plain do define us by the environment, the geopolitical, and the human condition. There is hope for people but we need to be conscious of our impact and our response. The final chapter about trees and a living boundary provides a great wrap-up the messages in the book.
February 23, 2024
This book was largely not interesting. I feel as if parts were largely drawn out and they did not fit with the message/story of the book. I did enjoy learning more about Palestinian strife with Israel, the Great Green Wall in the Sahel/Sahara region, and borders not necessary thought of like virtual safety and viruses. Overall, did not enjoy this book and it could’ve been cut in half with the amount of relevant content it had.
February 2, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. Fascinating ideas about different ways humans define a modern border. It was clever and whimsical. It has an analysis on how the changing climate has altered borders in multiple ways. I particularly liked the use of history to track changing conceptions and thoughts about coming challenges.
March 15, 2023
At first I got a bit irritated by the random veering around a subject but once I eased into it, it was a bit like a slightly drunk incredibly knowledgeable friend telling you deeply interesting stuff with some slightly random connections. My family and friends possibly got a bit fed up of me sharing some of the nuggets of wisdom, but I couldn't help it because so many interesting things to share!
November 8, 2023
I found this book very mixed. Crawford writes about some interesting boundaries, such as the wall that demarcates Palestinian from Israeli territories in the West Bank, and the Sahel in northern Africa, and he tells some interesting stories. However I found it rather patchy and a book to dip into, rather than read cover-to-cover.
January 24, 2024
This was super super fascinating! I loved everything about it. The history and the different parts of the world, the animals. Everything was great. A bit memoir, history, non-fiction. Super engaging. Really makes you think about what a border is, why it exists. Truly reinforcing the idea that everything in our world is a human construct— most of which doesn’t actually make our world better.
July 18, 2024
So much interesting information in this book. I really wanted to like it more than I did. It's certainly clearly written, but I think it loses some energy by being just so diverse. As with all books on 'borders' it recounts many more problems than the solutions it offers. Even these solutions seem hopelessly utopian.
January 30, 2023
A beautifully written book exploring all too relevant questions about the past, present, future and transience of borders. The stories that form their foundations and the often heartbreaking outcomes of their enforcement. Well worth reading.
February 6, 2023
I can honestly say that I had never thought about borders much before I opened this book. But each border was a revelation, a questioning of what we think we know, what we might take for granted. Hopeful and eye-opening.
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