In 2005 Andy Warner travelled to Lebanon to study literature in Beirut, one of the world's most cosmopolitan and storied cities. Twenty-one years old and recently broken up from his girlfriend, Warner feels his life is both intense and directionless. Immersing himself in the vibrant and diverse city, he quickly befriends a group of LGBT students, many of whom are ex-pats straddling different cultures and embracing the freedoms of the multicultural...

"Your country isn't perfect--but with a little planning and a personalized flag, your true utopia may be as close as your own backyard! Here are the stories of thirty self-made places around the world built with a dream of utopia: from the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands to the Indian rock garden of Nek Chand to the micronation of Sealand and much more. Whether they were building an ideal community, a safe haven, an inspiring structure,...

"Hilarious, entertaining, and illustrated histories behind some of life's most common and underappreciated objects--from the paperclip and the toothbrush to the sports bra and roller skates. In the tradition of A Cartoon History of the Universe and, mostrecent, Randall Munroe's What If? comes Brief Histories of Everyday Objects, a graphic tour through the unusual creation of some of the mundane items that surround us in our daily lives. Chapters are...