All leaders are constrained by geography. Their choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas and concrete. Yes, to follow world events you need to understand people, ideas and movements – but if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture.

If you’ve ever wondered why Putin is so obsessed with Crimea, why the USA was destined to become a global superpower, or why China’s power base continues to expand ever outwards, the answers are all here.

In ten chapters (covering Russia; China; the USA; Latin America; the Middle East; Africa; India and Pakistan; Europe; Japan and Korea; and the Arctic), using maps, essays and occasionally the personal experiences of the widely travelled author, Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present and future to offer an essential insight into one of the major factors that determines world history.

This award-winning series is written by Royal Geographical Society member Anita Ganeri, and illustrated by Mike Phillips (Horrible Histories: Gruesome Guides). For over twenty years Horrible Geography has taken the boring out of geological surveys, the dull out of drafting a map, and tedium out of tide tables.

Horrible Geography will have you laughing out loud as you learn a thing or two at the same time. Packed with hilarious illustrations and great facts that will have you rushing to share them with others, this is the book to help you laugh at the world around you. Whether you want to find out about far-flung places, or a little more about your own patch, Horrible Geography drops facts as quickly as jokes. This fantastic series of books brings geography to life, while quizzes, puzzles and activities keep boredom at bay.

Whether you work in a home office or abroad, business success in our ever more globalized and virtual world requires the skills to navigate through cultural differences and decode cultures foreign to your own. Renowned expert Erin Meyer is your guide through this subtle, sometimes treacherous terrain where people from starkly different backgrounds are expected to work harmoniously together.


Even with English as a global language, it’s easy to fall into cultural traps that endanger careers and sink deals when, say, a Brazilian manager tries to fathom how his Chinese suppliers really get things done, or an American team leader tries to get a handle on the intra-team dynamics between his Russian and Indian team members.

In The Culture Map, Erin Meyer provides a field-tested model for decoding how cultural differences impact international business. She combines a smart analytical framework with practical, actionable advice for succeeding in a global world.