How to Start Your Own Country
| Author | Erwin S. Strauss |
|---|---|
| Published | 1979 |
| Format | Book |
TL;DR — Erwin S. Strauss’s survey of attempts to found new countries, with five approaches compared and dozens of case histories from Sealand to artificial islands.
First published in 1979 and later revised (this is the Paladin Press second edition, copyright 1979, 1984, 1999). Strauss sets out five approaches to founding a country — traditional sovereignty, a ship under a flag of convenience, litigation, “vonu” (staying out of sight), and a model country — and compares them, followed by chapters on internal organisation, recruiting settlers and the future of new countries.
Most of the book is case histories of micronation and new-country projects, including the Principality of Sealand, shown on the cover, and Operation Atlantis, plus an “Access” chapter of contacts and sources.
What it is: a well-known popular survey of micronations from a small libertarian-leaning publisher; a reference on the history of new-country projects, not scholarship.
Where this came from
- A copy saved in October 2026.
176 pages. A PDF copy is held in Kyle’s private archive; it is not linked or shared here.