evidence: Paul Richardson’s At the Edge of the Nation is both a sophisticated study of the Kuril Islands—a strategic pivot in Russo-Japanese relations—and a thoughtful reflection on wider issues of nationalism and territorial sovereignty in the context of Russia. It will be invaluable reading for specialists of the region, as well as for scholars of ethnicity and nationalism generally. [...] Paul B. Richardson casts a critical eye over the highly disputed Kuril Islands (Chishima in Japanese) in the North Pacific Ocean. Claimed and coveted by Japan, administered and occupied by Russia. While Europeans focus on the "near abroad" closest to their borderlands, this book reminds us that territorial visions are being made and remade in the Russian Far East. The "dots on the map" are integral to making sense of the how, what, and where of Russia. At the Edge of the Nation is an indispensable guide. [...] If you want to read a book not so much about the disputed Kuril Islands, but instead about what people—especially Russians—think and say about the Kuril Islands, this is a book for you.