Books

Our world has innumerable boundaries, ranging from the obvious – like an ocean – to subtle differences in language or climate. Most of us cross invisible lines all the time, but don’t stop to consider them.

In Invisible Lines, geographer Maxim Samson presents 30 such unseen boundaries, intriguing and unexpected examples of the myriad ways in which we collectively engage with and experience the world. From football fans in Buenos Aires to air quality in China, Paris’ banlieues to sub-Saharan Africa’s Malaria Belt, the existence – or perceived existence – of dividing lines has manifold implications for people, wildlife, and places.

Fully illustrated with maps of each location, Invisible Lines reveals the extraordinary ways in which we try to render the planet more liveable and legible; a compelling guide to seeing and understanding our world in all its consistency – and all its messiness, too.