Graustark

Numerous books by George Barr McCutcheon are set in Graustark, a made-up nation in Eastern Europe. Both of Graustark's neighbors, Axphain to the north and Dawsbergen to the south, are mentioned in the stories. There is at least one reference in the books that fixes Graustark's location as someplace in the Carpathian Mountains close to Romania. Graustark is depicted as a hilly country with an area of about 800 square miles. Truxton King, on the other side, is supposed to offer a quicker rail connection to Russian areas in or close to Afghanistan, whereas Graustark is reportedly under threat of shrinking to only 25 miles broad by 150 miles long (3750 square miles). Trains run between Vienna and Edelweiss, the capital of Graustark. The mountain village of Ganlook is close to the border with Graustark's longtime adversary, Axphain. The Prisoner of Zenda and its subsequent books by Anthony Hope, published in 1894, is comparable to the court intrigue, royal disguise, and romance found in the Graustark novels. They were bestsellers when they were first released, and used bookstores still carry the original editions today.