An Armchair Traveller’s History of Finland

‘highly entertaining’ 
Nordic Reach

‘Written in a lively and humorous style, including many personal anecdotes, this book would be a good introduction to Finland’
Scandinavian Journal of History 

In the general mind, Finland is often swept up in the general group of Nordic countries, little known and seldom gaining prominence on its own. But as Jonathan Clements shows in An Armchair Traveller’s History of Finland, it has a long and fascinating history, one that offers oddities and excitements galore: from prehistoric herders to medieval lords, Christian martyrs and Viking kings, and the war heroes who held off the Soviet Union against long odds. Clements travels the length of the country as he tells these stories, along the way offering accounts of Finland’s public artworks, literary giants, legends and folktales, and famous figures. The result is the perfect introduction to Finland for armchair and actual travelers alike.

JONATHAN CLEMENTS is an author and TV presenter specialising in the history and cultures of the Far East. He speaks both Chinese and Japanese, and has been a consultant and talking head on numerous TV programmes, including New Secrets of the Terracotta Warriors (Channel 4), Koxinga: Sailing into History (National Geographic), China’s Jade Empire (Channel 4), and The Chinese Chariot Revealed (PBS). Since 2016, he has fronted the award-winning series Route Awakening (National Geographic Asia). His most recent documentary as presenter is Shandong: Land of Confucius, also for National Geographic. Visit Jonathan’s blog, here.

Also by this author: An Armchair Traveller’s History of Beijing, Mannerheim, A Short History of Tokyo, A History of the Silk Road, An Armchair Traveller’s History of the Silk Road, An Armchair Traveller’s History of Tokyo, Admiral Togo, and Mao Zedong.