Mental Maps: A Tip for Reading History

History books can be a pain in the ass to get through.

Have you ever read European history?

Count Ulrich I of Württemberg invaded this, Harald Hardrada plundered that, the Duchy of whatshisname signed his three hundredth pact…

It’s a mess, and that’s how it will stay.

History is history. We can just learn the bits that matter and leave the rest behind.

But there’s one skill you can pick up within a few weeks that will wipe away one of history’s biggest hassles: the lack of geographical context.

Every war, every invention and every art movement happens somewhere.

And when we read, it’s easy to get lost in the words as they describe the setting.

You encounter strange place names, islands you have never heard of and quirky regions only familiar to the locals of that nation . . . if it still exists.

My geography skills were atrocious back in the day, and even the most basic history narratives left me stumped.

“Ok so the Germans invaded through the Ardennes in WW2 -is that in Belgium or France? If it’s in the southern half of France, who else might get involved? The Austrians? Or was it the Italians? I don’t remember.”

I’m not proud to admit it, but these were the sort of questions floating in my head, and it made my reading a droll.

I’m certain you are less ignorant than my past self. Even then, it’s easy to get lost in the geography of lands far away from you, or within a country itself.

No European is lambasted for not being able to label every US state, just as an American isn’t expected to point out where Derbyshire sits in England.

Now dive into their respective histories, and it becomes a guessing game.

Even if the author is thoughtful enough to offer you a map, it’s still a nuisance to flick back to it every other page. Without it, you’re lost.

So how can you kick this ignorance to the past and improve your history reading forever?

You learn your countries.

And if you’re feeling like a true scholar, extend it to landforms, regions and all the other local subdivisions.

(Which will turn you into a pub quiz legend, by the way)

Is it easy? No

Is it quick to learn? Nah.

That’s expected -nothing in the world of education is earned without a little hustle.

But what is almost too good to be true is that once you learn this base level of geography, it’s low maintenance.

Unlike the random titbits of information you learn in school, this is knowledge that pops up time and time again in life, meaning revision comes naturally.

With enough practice, it’s almost impossible to forget.

Once you reach that point, your skills won’t erode away even after many months of no practice.

It’s like the muscle memory of a bodybuilder:

Slow to grow, but slower yet to lose.

Many summers ago- I forget how long -my social life was in a pitiful state and I had a lot of free time on my hands.

I was tired of being unable to form a map in my head as I read history, so I went to correct it.

There’s a website called Seterra.com that’s packed full of geography games. For 10 minutes a day, I tackled each continent one by one, with all the different game modes available.

Of course, you could be old school and get yourself a globe.

Perhaps it makes you feel like a Napoleonic-era officer, or gives your bedroom some colonial spice. Fair enough.

But Seterra is more fun and I like the instant feedback it offers.

With small pockets of effort, you can gain a treasure not many other readers have -a mental map that helps you see the history unfold from above.

Once you think you are skilled enough, there’s no need to make this yet another daily habit to check off. You’re busy enough as it is, and remember, it sticks well.

I revisit Seterra only a few times a year. It’s true I’m a little rusty each time, but with a half-hour of practice, I’m back to my geography prime.

If the history buff within you is tired of looking up maps mid-reading, see if you can reserve some spare moments in the next few weeks to build yourself a lifelong skill.

And even if you have never picked up a history book in your life, you’ll be a general knowledge pro in no time.

Yours,

Odysseas

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P.S. The website’s totally free, and they didn’t ask me to write this. I'd be a bit surprised if they slid into my dms anyway.