The story of Britain, from its first moments as an island to its possible future

'Ian Morris has established himself as a leader in making big history interesting and understandable' Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel 'Morris succeeds triumphantly at cramming 10,000 years of history into a single book' Robert Colvile, Times Geography is Destiny tells the history of Britain and its changing relationships with Europe and the wider world, from its physical separation at the end of the Ice Age to the first flickers of a United Kingdom, struggles for the Atlantic, and rise of the Pacific Rim. Applying the latest archaeological evidence, Ian Morris explores how geography, migration, government and new technologies interacted to produce regional inequalities that still affect us today. He charts Britain's geopolitical fortunes over thousands of years, revealing its transformation from a European satellite into a state at the centre of global power, commerce, and culture. But as power and wealth shift from West to East, does Britain's future lie with Europe or the wider world?

"A 'big ideas' gallop ... Morris succeeds triumphantly at cramming 10,000 years of history into a single book" - Times

"Morris is a jaunty, accessible writer, especially strong on his home field of archaeology, and this is a book brimming with neat slogans and ideas" - Sunday Times

"Morris writes with great knowledge and wisdom and a certain panache ... I can't think of a better, more thought-provoking and generally wise introduction to the 'long' history of Britain's changing relations with continental Europe and the wider world than Geography is Destiny, or one that is such a terrific read" - Literary Review

"A fresh perspective ... Ian Morris has established himself as a leader in making big history interesting and understandable" - Guns, Germs, and Steel

"Clever, acute and counterintuitive ... a pleasure to read" - Sunday Times

"Brilliantly argued across a huge sweep, combining history with human geography, human and natural sciences. It is a magnificent and stimulating read, and should be given to anyone involved in the business of war and peace, or the human fate in any respect - and already a book of the year" - Evening Standard

"A provocative and extraordinary contribution to wide-screen comparative history ... a true banquet of ideas" - Independent

"This is an astonishing book, full of controversy, brilliantly researched and thoughtfully argued ... one of the most fascinating and thought-provoking histories I've read in years" - Daily Telegraph

"One doffs one's hat to Morris's breadth, ambition and erudition" - Sunday Times

"An astonishing work" - The Wealth and Poverty of Nations

"An exuberant and wonderfully entertaining tour de force of history, archaeology, anthropology, geography, evolutionary biology and technological and military speculation... a terrific book" - The Spectator

"It is the book's elegantly succinct prose that will most captivate readers ... filled with lucid explanations of the most recondite questions, with many revealing quotations and witty asides" - Prospect

"Remarkable ... historian Morris argues not only that war is a source of technological advance but that it brings peace ... the thesis is disturbingly persuasive" - Financial Times

"Gleefully provocative yet alarmingly persuasive... one of the most original history books in years" - Mail on Sunday