Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations
Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations is an Australian gazetteer about micronations published by Lonely Planet. Written by John Ryan, George Dunford and Simon Sellars, the book's profile of micronations offers information on their flags, leaders, currencies, date of foundation, maps and other facts. It was published in September 2006, and later re-subtitled Guide to Self-Proclaimed Nations. The book is written in a light-hearted and humorous tone.
![]() Book cover | |
Author | John Ryan, George Dunford and Simon Sellars |
---|---|
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Published | September 2006 |
Publisher | Lonely Planet |
Media type | |
Pages | 160 |
ISBN | 978-1-74104-730-1 |
Background and publication
Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations—later re-subtitled Guide to Self-Proclaimed Nations—was published in September 2006 by Lonely Planet as a "fully illustrated, humorous mock-guidebook" to micronations.[1][2] Micronations are political entities that claim independence and mimic acts of sovereignty as if they were a sovereign country, but lack any legal recognition. They are classified separately from states with limited recognition or quasi-states as they lack the legal basis in international law for their existence.[3]
The book is authored by Australian journalist John Ryan, freelance journalist George Dunford, and writer and blogger Simon Sellars.[P 1] Ryan, the principal author of the book, became interested in the concept of micronationalism upon his discovery of the Principality of Hutt River in Australia. After researching further into the topic and finding out about the Conch Republic in the United States, Ryan became even more inspired by micronations, saying "as I started looking into the movement, I just saw that there were these strange little nations popping up all over the place."[4][5]
According to Sellars in an interview with BLDGBLOG, he overheard Ryan discussing the idea for a book about micronations with one of the Lonely Planet staff while he was working as an editor for Lonely Planet. Upon hearing it had been approved, Sellars pestered Ryan for several months until Ryan agreed to accept him as a co-writer. Dunford was later invited by Ryan as well. Sellars—who founded his own micronation when he was a kid—became interested in the concept because of his fondness of parallel universes in fiction—"anything that distorts or reflects or comments on the 'real' world – or sets up an alternative world".[6]
Content
Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations has 160 pages, and includes an introduction and a full index.[P 2] It also includes illustrations and maps.[7] The book's profile of micronations offers information on their flags, leaders, currencies, date of foundation, maps and other facts. Sidebars throughout the book provide overviews of such topics as coinage and stamps, as well as a profile of Emperor Norton. Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations is split into three parts: "Serious Business",[P 3] which includes what the authors equate as serious secessionist attempts, "My Backyard, My Nation",[P 4] which includes local and jocular micronations, and "Grand Dreams",[P 5] which includes largely imaginative micronations.
Below are the micronations featured in the book:
Serious Business
Principality of Sealand, United Kingdom
Freetown Christiania, Denmark
Principality of Hutt River, Australia
Kingdom of Lovely, United Kingdom
Whangamomona, New Zealand
Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, Australia
Kingdom of Elleore, Denmark
Sovereign Military Order of Malta (not a micronation)[8]
Akhzivland, Israel
- Northern Forest Archipelago, United States
Principality of Seborga, Italy
Freedonia, United States
Great Republic of Rough and Ready, United States
My Backyard, My Nation
Republic of Molossia, United States
- Empire of the United States, United States
- Copeman Empire, United Kingdom
Empire of Atlantium, Australia
- North Dumpling Island, United States
Republic of Kugelmugel, Austria
Grand Duchy of the Lagoan Isles, United Kingdom
Kingdom of Vikesland, Canada
- Great United Kiseean Kingdom, Finland and Romania
- Kingdom of Romkerhall, Germany
Ibrosian Protectorate, United Kingdom
- Sovereign Kingdom of Kemetia, United Kingdom
Kingdom of Talossa, United States
Aerican Empire, United States
Republic of Cascadia, United States and Canada
Principality of Trumania, United States
Kingdom of Redonda, Antigua and Barbuda
Grand Dreams
Grand Duchy of Westarctica, Antarctica
- Borovnia, fictional
- Maritime Republic of Eastport, United States
Republic of Rathnelly, Canada
Republic of Saugeais, France
- Barony of Caux, France
Nutopia, non-territorial
Conch Republic, United States
Le Royaume de L'Anse-Saint-Jean, Canada
Ladonia, Sweden
Dominion of British West Florida, United States
Grand Duchy of Elsanor, United States
Principality of Snake Hill, Australia
- SoS (State of Sabotage), Finland
Critical reception
Peter Needham, writing for The Australian, states that "Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-made Nations provides plenty of information [on micronations]", calling it "amusing" and adding "[this] 160-page book takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the world's oddest little countries: some created as intricate pranks, others born of discontent, to avoid paying tax or just for fun." Needham appreciated the work's "light-hearted" approach to micronations and politics, and joked that "the prospect of a listing in future editions is an added incentive to those contemplating creating countries."[9]
Jo Sargent of The Geographical Magazine was more negative, writing that while he thinks Lonely Planet produces excellent guidebooks, Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations was more limited to eccentric micronational leaders rather than their micronations, saying "although mildly diverting, the format simply doesn't work." He adds that, although the book is amusing at first and there are some interesting entries, "there are only so many 'wacky' young men deciding that life is unfair and setting up a nation in their bedroom that one can stomach before your patience begins to wear thin."[10]
Jesse Walker, writing in The American Conservative, notes that Lonely Planet's book is more whimsical than Erwin Strauss' How to Start Your Own Country (1979), and has a greater focus on "charming, tongue-in-cheek projects like Molossia". Though he found two factual errors, Walker calls the book "entertaining reading," adding that "despite such minor errors, I assume it would be useful as an actual guide as well, if you ever decide to take a whirlwind tour of the world's micronations."[5]
References
Primary sources
- Ryan, Dunford & Sellars 2006, pp. 153–54: "The Authors"
- Ryan, Dunford & Sellars 2006, "Table of contents"
- Ryan, Dunford & Sellars 2006, pp. 7–60
- Ryan, Dunford & Sellars 2006, pp. 61–108
- Ryan, Dunford & Sellars 2006, pp. 109–152
Secondary sources
- McDougall, Russel (15 September 2013). "Micronations of the Caribbean". In Fumagalli, Maria Cristina; Hulme, Peter; Robinson, Owen; Wylie, Lesley (eds.). Surveying the American Tropics: A Literary Geography from New York to Rio. Liverpool University Press. p. 233. doi:10.5949/liverpool/9781846318900.003.0010. ISBN 9781846318900.
- Vieira, Fátima (16 March 2022). "Micronations and Hyperutopias". In Marks, Peter; Wagner-Lawlor, Jennifer A.; Vieira, Fátima (eds.). The Palgrave Handbook of Utopian and Dystopian Literatures. Palgrave Macmillan. Springer International Publishing. p. 281. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-88654-7_22. ISBN 978-3-030-88654-7.
- Hobbs & Williams 2021, p. 76–78.
- Chadwick, Alex (1 November 2007). "'Lonely Planet' Explores Micronations". NPR. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- Walker, Jesse (19 November 2007). "Big Ideas Need Small Places". The American Conservative. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- Manaugh, Geoff (23 November 2006). "The Lonely Planet Guide to Micronations: An Interview with Simon Sellars". BLDGBLOG. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- "Micronations / John Ryan ; George Dunford ; Simon Sellars". National Library of Australia. n.d. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- Hobbs & Williams 2021, p. 73.
- Needham, Peter (16 September 2006). "Born to rule". The Australian. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- Sargent, Jo (October 2006). "It's a small world after all". The Geographical Magazine. Vol. 78, no. 10. Geographical Magazine Ltd. p. 91. ISSN 0016-741X.
Bibliography
- Hobbs, Harry; Williams, George (2021). Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty. Cambridge Studies in Constitutional Law. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-009-15013-2. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- Ryan, John; Dunford, George; Sellars, Simon (2006). Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74104-730-1.