A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols (Politics of Place Book 2)

What a better round the world guided tour than reading Tim Marshall's "A Flag Worth Dying For". Colorful and rich in detail, Marshall gives us brief (and occasionally not so brief) histories of how flags came into being for many nations.Vexillology, or the study of flags, begins with our own Stars and Stripes. While, as an American, this chapter I know best, there were still facts presented that added to my knowledge. A particular treat in the first couple of chapters is the author's sense of humor in his narration. As he moves through Europe through the Middle East and to Asia, Marshall's humor lessens as the culture of war becomes more dramatic in assessing the development of flags in these areas. Geographically, we go south of the equator to visit Africa and South America. What strikes me most are the similarities of flags in certain regions...i.e. Scandanavia and Central America. Finally, Marshall ends up with a chapter called, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" which features the Jolly Roger, the Olympics and the Rainbow Flag.Nicely ordered in accompaniment to the story are all the flags that the author discusses. It's a nice reference point to an unusual but important book. I highly recommend it.

I purchased this book to continue on with Tim Marshall's series. I read Prisoners of Geography and absolutely loved it because it gave some relevant information about a few selected countries. He went a little deeper while covering a smaller % of countries. In this book, he took the opposite approach by spending a little time on a lot of flags including flags that do not represent countries. It was an interesting quick read and I'll look forward to continuing the series soon!

I love this book! Super interesting

This one was a little boring and the writing style was worse, needed more flags and a different perspective for the book in itself to be as good as the PoP book 1.

Very insightful book! Neat perspective on what the flag means to people and how the development of the flag correlates with states’ histories.

Very good. It arrived earlier than advised.My only issue is that on your on-line booking, it does not clearly, or prominently, distinguish between a hard cover or paper cover copies of this book. As a result I purchased by accident the more expensive hard cover copy. Perhaps you you could make such options more prominent.Thanks, Ralph Bartlett

A decent entry into a very sparse collection of books about flags. However, the effort seemed rushed and often times faulty or too little information was given.As an introduction to the study of flags it leaves too much unexplained or undefined for too long. As a serious book for those more 'in the know' about flags and vexillology (the study of flags) it doesn't have quite enough new to add. When you add to that the generally casual tone and voice of the author, its hard to know who this book is for.Overall, however, it is nice to have a new book to add to the library of any serious fan of flags, but if you are well versed in world flag lore and categorization, this may not have anything to say to you.

It’s an easy read. It combines well geopolitics, history, flags and the power that symbols play in our world. Offers a fresh perspective and different take about flags that many often overlook.

A very engaging way to go round the world learning history, geography, culture, and politics.Love Tim Marshall's easy and jovial style!

Love the series and this is another great addition to Tim’s books. Would highly recommend

Muito bom. Satisfeito

Ottimo libro! Lo consiglio vivamente!

Excellent book for those interested in the origin of several national flags from around the world. Very informative and well-written.