{"product_id":"9780061899867","title":"How the States Got Their Shapes","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhy does Oklahoma have that panhandle? Did someone make a mistake?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe are so familiar with the map of the United States that our state borders seem as much a part of nature as mountains and rivers. Even the oddities—the entire state of Maryland(!)—have become so engrained that our map might as well be a giant jigsaw puzzle designed by Divine Providence. But that's where the real mystery begins. Every edge of the familiar wooden jigsaw pieces of our childhood represents a revealing moment of history and of, well, humans drawing lines in the sand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHow the States Got Their Shapes\u003c\/em\u003e is the first book to tackle why our state lines are where they are. Here are the stories behind the stories, right down to the tiny northward jog at the eastern end of Tennessee and the teeny-tiny (and little known) parts of Delaware that are not attached to Delaware but to New Jersey. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHow the States Got Their Shapes\u003c\/em\u003e examines:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy West Virginia has a finger creeping up the side of Pennsylvania\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy Michigan has an upper peninsula that isn't attached to Michigan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy some Hawaiian islands are not Hawaii\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy Texas and California are so outsized, especially when so many Midwestern states are nearly identical in size\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePacked with fun oddities and trivia, this entertaining guide also reveals the major fault lines of American history, from ideological intrigues and religious intolerance to major territorial acquisitions. Adding the fresh lens of local geographic disputes, military skirmishes, and land grabs, Mark Stein shows how the seemingly haphazard puzzle pieces of our nation fit together perfectly.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47148053364976,"sku":"9780061899867","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780061899867_p0.jpg?v=1769890503","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780061899867","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}