Lost States: True Stories of Texlahoma, Transylvania, and Other States That Never Made It

By Michael J. Trinklein

This is American history they don’t teach you in class: Discover the “fascinating, funny” stories of the states that never were, from Texlahoma to West Florida (The New Yorker)
 
Everyone knows the fifty nifty united states—but what about the hundreds of other statehood proposals that never came to pass? Lost States is a tribute to such great unrealized dreams as West Florida, Texlahoma, Montezuma, Rough and Ready, and Yazoo. Some of these states came remarkably close to joining the Union. Others never had a chance. Many are still trying. Consider:
 
Frontier legend Daniel Boone once proposed a state of Transylvania in the Appalachian wilderness. His plan was resurrected a few years later with the new name of Kentucky.

Residents of bucolic South Jersey wanted to secede from their urban north Jersey neighbors and form the fifty-first state.
 
The Gold Rush territory of Nataqua could have made a fine state—but since no women were willing to live there, the settlers gave up and joined California.
 
Each story offers a fascinating glimpse at the nation we might have become—along with plenty of absurd characters, bureaucratic red tape, and political gamesmanship. Accompanying these tales are beautifully rendered maps detailing the proposed state boundaries, plus images of real-life artifacts and ephemera. Welcome to the world of Lost States!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781594747526

Reviews for Lost States

[bookhookgeek · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining and a fast read.

[muumuumousie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I greatly enjoyed this alternate-history look at the U.S. States that might have been. Interesting historical snapshots, topped off with a healthy dose of dry wit, make this book a delight from start to finish.

[davemac_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The information was interesting. I didn't appreciate the author's style of writing.

[bensdad00 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A quick and breezy overview of many serious and a few fantastical efforts to redraw the map of America.

[matthewbloome · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Though it only provided anecdotal accounts of an abundance of statehood proposals, this was a fascinating collection on a subject that I knew disturbingly little about. Highly recommended for any armchair history buffs like me.

[johnfallows · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having studied cartographic technique and history, Lost States is an interesting and brisk read. It illustrates the varied influences brought to bear when attempting to apply rather arbitrary lines of demarcation to the random and often uncharted wilds. Why the author still has a boner for George W. Bush and Halliburton in 2010 is mysterious, unless you take into account his former employment at PBS.

[akmargie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lots of overlapping information with another state book, How the States Got Their shape but in a more humorous, quippy tone. The maps and graphics were very helpful and interesting. I also have some new historical figures to research.

[smileyman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining book about what could have been. Trinklein's style is engaging and humorous, though some of the entries are rather far fetched.

[darkson_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fun mixture of history and speculation. It does fill in some history on how we got the states as they are and as they might have been. The maps are a delight. A light read with plenty of amusing tidbits.

[koalamom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was fun. To think we could have twice as many states if all of these had come to fruition.

[timothyl33 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A light read of interesting 'what if.' Though the book's title claims this to be a book on 'lost state' (territories that might have been states), I'd say it's more accurate to say a good majority of the 'states' is just pure speculation or fantasy (no way is there going to be a state of Navassa). I'd also have given this higher marks if the author or editor had done a little more proofreading, since there's a couple erroneous facts in this book. But then this is more of a lighthearted book and not meant for scholarly use.

[mhgatti · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a cartographer, so I might be a little biased about a book of maps. But Trinkein has a lot of fun with these places that almost might have been. He takes quite a few liberties with both the mapping and the storytelling (some of these places were never more than one nut's crazy idea) but it makes for a funny and quick read.

[nee3nee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nice coffee table book. It's interesting to flip through but, difficult to read cover to cover. Full of fun stories regarding failed attempts at statehood, and great illustrations. The fold out map that shows what America would look like with all of the "alternate" states is cool to look at. A fun read.

[iluvvideo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lost States is a captivating read. You need not be a history scholar (although an interest helps!) The entries are in alphabetical order (I would have preferred a geographical order) and are fun,fast reads full of quirky geographical history of the many proposed states and reasons why they failed. Each entry is two pages, one of text, one of a map (usually a historical reproduction). Did you know that Navassa was once proposed for statehood? Where? A better question is about the Guano Islands Act of 1856.Or Popham Colony (Maine). Preceding Plymouth by 10 years, abandoned after a year, the inhabitants returning to England.Or Montezuma. Where a handshake deal between two crooked politicians set back statehood for New Mexico by 37 years.Amazing stories made all the more captivating by the fact that they are all TRUE! Do yourself a pleasant favor. Give this book a try!

[morningrob · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Trinklein, Michael J. True Stories of Texlahoma, Transylvania, and Other States that Never Made It. Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2010.This was a really interesting book. Though by book, it is not so much a narrative, but closer to an encyclopedia of states that wanted to be states but never were states. Within each entry, however, the writing is clear and amusing as well as being informative. This book is great for the American history enthusiasts or for that person who just likes to know about trivia.Each entry is about a part of American that either formally applied to Congress to be a state or for where there were movements that tried to make a new state. It seems that most of these Lost States wanted to form because they felt forgotten by the rest of the state or that they felt that the rest of the state exploited its wealth. Sometimes both feelings happened at the same time. However, there is also influences of world politics, local politics, and personalities that conflicted that created these crazy stories. Each entry also includes a map of where the state would be located. As an added extra, the maps are made to look like a map from the period when the statehood movement took place.This is a fun and interesting book. The perfect place for it- in the bathroom. It can give you something quick to reading when you have time to sit.

[goodgeniuslibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lost States will fascinate US History and geography buffs alike. Each two page spread describes an attempt at statehood--some more credible and seriously sought than others. You will learn all kinds of historical tidbits about the settlement of the USA and why some lines exist and other proposed ones do not. A fun read.

[lirleni · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful coffee-table style book. It gives little historical tidbits about each failed state proposal, each getting 2 pages (one text, one map). The proposals range from seriously made ones to semi-humourous ones, and from preColonial to as recent as the 1990s.

[justinthelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Full of great tidbits of information. Well written and arranged. Great photos. Love the humor.

[sweans · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The content of this book is certainly interesting and Trinklein has a great sense of humor. The illustrations are lovely. A high school history fan would probably like this book. However, since the states that never made it are listed alphabetically, the flow of the book is a bit jarring.

[rosethorne1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Received this book from the Early Reviewers. I read it on a long plane trip between Alaska and the East Coast. While I wouldn't cite it as a source in an academic paper it was a fun and entertaining read. I will be putting it on my living room table for others to enjoy, once my table is delivered of course! It was beautifully illustrated on the cover, and the map was very detailed and colorful. I wish there had been better annotation of his sources though, so I could do my own research on the content a little easier. None the less, an enjoyable book all around.

[crmass_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book, but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I not watched "How the States Got Their Shapes" on the History Channel shortly before reading "Lost States". "Lost States" is informative and at times humorous, but lacks some depth in terms of these lost states' histories. Each "state" is covered in about a page.

[kcarmack_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun book! It's not a lengthy examination with lots of heavy facts. The graphics are great & the information is delivered in an entertaining manner.This would be a great book for a history buff of any age.

[blueyss82 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is super fun!! I love reading true bits of American history. The way this book is organized you can read a little here and a little there. It's the perfect coffee table book and I can see it being a fun family book on roadtrips. It would also be an excellent book for American History or Geography teachers. As someone who makes maps, all of the old historical maps included with the stories made it even more fascinating. I throughly enjoyed reading this book and as I have it sitting out I will be reading it again!

[calbookman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Simply put I read this book all the way through in one sitting and read it again. Then I told my father about it and then recommended it to the local teachers I know. It is a great read about state history decidedly not in the history books. The author has a winning sense of humor and style that captures the ideas for each entry succinctly. I am thinking of donating this book to the local library just so they are sure to have a copy. Any person who has taken US history should have had this book as a text. There were only two mistakes in the whole of the book and they were editorial in nature (mis-spellings etc) but noticeable. The best part was reading about the almost-state that some distant relatives came to the US to populate and establish. Congratulations to Trinklein on a wonderful book.

[miscmayzee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book Lost States was absolute fun from beginning to end. When I found out I would be receiving Lost States from Library Thing I expected to find a book full of trivia and unknown facts, but this book was a lot more.The author, Michael J. Trinklein has a really well-developed funny bone that made learning all of these facts fun. I found this book a complete joy and actually sent it on to my older brother because he loves fun fact as well!

[csmcmahon_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book. It's the perfect blend of history, trivia, and snark. The illustrations are gorgeous. The writing is hilarious. It makes for a quick read with a map on one side of the page and the related story on the other side. One of my favorite things about the book is that the cover actually unfolds to another map. As a life-long resident of Illinois, I was surprised (and amused) to read about the lost state of Forgottonia, whose name sounds like it originated in a Marx Brothers movie. This book will have a spot on my coffee table for quite some time.

[kilroywashere_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

To be honest, when I first saw this I was expecting one of those quasi-history books that're long on cuteness and short on facts. Lost States bears absolutely no resemblance to that sort of thing.Over 157 pages, Trinklein goes through a rich and diverse list of areas, both within and without current US boundaries, that were proposed or came ever-so-close to statehood at some point in America's history. Trinklein's depth of research really shows in his writing, which takes a playful tone without being too light-hearted. The design is fantastic, too, with at least one page of this oversized book being given over to maps of the prospective states and commonwealths.If you want to know more about the history of Franklin, Trans-Oconee, State X, Greenland, or Taiwan--and who doesn't?--you should definitely make sure to pick up Lost States.

[cpom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lost States is a fun look at the states that could have been. Not only do we get to see some history and trivia about these territories, but the author also infuses some humor to keep it fun. I love that the story of each lost state also included a visual representation of how the state would have looked if the propositions had been accepted. A great book for all ages!

[strogan_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Book received through Early Reviewers.Lost States is a nice coffee table book that provides quick overviews of the "might have beens" in U.S. geographical history.It is a quick read and provides enough information that, if the reader so wishes, said reader can investigate further if s/he so wishes.The book was humorously enjoyable and I liked the photographs in it, as well as the dust jacket that becomes a foldout map.I do wish that one of two things happened, though for the same reason, it was either longer or there were fewer entries.

[giasen_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having studied cartographic technique and history, Lost States is an interesting and brisk read. It illustrates the varied influences brought to bear when attempting to apply rather arbitrary lines of demarcation to the random and often uncharted wilds. Why the author still has a boner for George W. Bush and Halliburton in 2010 is mysterious, unless you take into account his former employment at PBS.