All the Countries We Ever Invaded (and the Few We Never Got Round to), written by Stewart Laycock and published by The History Press, is a fascinating book, if perhaps somewhat uncomfortable to read in these post-imperial days!According to the author’s introduction, out of the 193 UN members in 2012 Britain invaded, had some control of or fought conflicts in the territory of something like 171. The relevant countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe are listed alphabetically, each with interesting, informative text. Inter-GB squabbles are not included so, who knows, maybe come autumn 2014 the 171 will become 172?“I’ve tried to be objective, but sometimes the question of what constitutes an invasion can be a little subjective” says the author, and indeed, some of the “invasions”, of Belarus, Hungary or Poland, hardly merit such a negative designation, so the figures need to be taken with a pinch of salt and the post-imperial angst can be reduced! But the book is interesting, whether you want to use it to learn more about the past or to win a quiz in your local pub.