In 1688, Johannes Hofer -- a young Alsatian physician -- identified, for the first time in the history of medicine, an ailment afflicting those who, far from their homeland, fell into a profound sadness that could prove fatal. He named it *nostalgia*. Through case studies, symptoms, and cures, Hofer constructs an explanation in which the body and the imagination intertwine with the longing for a distant home. *Anatomy of Nostalgia* is a pivotal text for reflecting on and imagining what home and homeland mean to those who, from afar, yearn for what has been lost.
