Böcker av Duncan Madden

Have you ever stopped and thought about the name of your home country or one you're travelling to? What it means, where it came from, how it came to be? From The Land of Many Rabbits to The Land of the Thunder Dragon, and many places in between, Found in Translation is a fascinating, extraordinary and frequently funny journey into the history of the naming of the world. Filled with extraordinary stories of invasion and rebellion, culture and religion, misunderstanding and the curiosities of language as it has evolved over the ages, it offers etymological insight into how and why the countries we live in and travel to got their names - and their often bizarre meanings.

Found in Translation: The Unexpected Origins of Place Names unravels the tangled threads of history and etymology to uncover the strange, intriguing and enlightening stories that have shaped the names of countries and places around the world.Starting in the world's second largest country, Canada, whose name means 'the village', renowned travel writer, Duncan Madden takes us on a spellbinding tour through the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, visiting the weird and wonderful along the way. Learn about the Land Protected by Fire , otherwise known as Azerbaijan; drop by Hippopotamus, or Mali; and sail to the Land of Frizzy-Haired Men in Papua New Guinea.Found in Translation will entertain and inspire the culturally curious - armchair explorers and avid travellers, historians, linguists and lovers of language - painting a new perspective on the names, histories and origins of the places we live in and travel to. Visiting more than sixty countries across all six continents, Found in Translation includes the stories of Canada, USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Iceland, Ireland, UK, Germany, Russia, Italy, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Iraq, India, China, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and many more...The foreword, written by bestselling author, explorer and photographer, Levison Wood, sets the context for this revelatory work that is part travelogue, history book and etymological reference.