Publication Overview
- This inspirational volume is a celebration of the diversity, energy and culture of islands
- Features 200 extraordinary islands organised by longitude, following the sun from east to west, starting at 180°, the International Date Line, and opening with the Chatham Islands the first place to welcome the new millennium
- Stimulating essays capture the spirit and essence of each island, and are enhanced by quotes from an eclectic collection of locals, great travel writers, famous visitors and native inhabitants, combined with concise facts
- Over 400 colour photographs contributed by the world's leading travel photographers
"Islomania is a rare affliction of spirit. There are people who find islands somehow irresistible. The mere knowledge that they are in a little world surrounded by sea fills them with an indescribable intoxication." Lawrence Durrell
The Book Of Islands is an exhilarating journey to some of the most extraordinary and isolated places on earth. From tropical paradises such as Mauritius and Bali, to prison islands like Alcatraz and Robben Island, from the far-flung snowy Kerguelen in Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego at the tip of Latin America to islands in the middle of cities the Ξle St-Louis in Paris and Manhattan and those that are cities in their own right, like Venice and Singapore each island has a unique and very distinct character. Included here are places of refuge, escape, exile and mystery the unblinking primitive statues of Easter Island and the dragons of Komodo; islands that have been sanctuaries and monasteries; the homes of hermits, mutineers, emperors and artists; the sites of battles, vendettas and revolutions. Some of the islands featured are under desperate threat from the forces of global warming: rising sea levels and an increase in severe weather conditions. Unless things change dramatically, many of these unique and diverse mini-cultures will simply disappear. The Book of Islands presents what could be a last chance to celebrate these diverse and extraordinary places. |
