The Book of Islands

About this book

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 Ile 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.

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Biography

Ben Donald is a travel writer whose journalism has appeared in the London Times and various UK travel magazines. He has also written guidebooks to various Italian cities for Footprint Handbooks and Cadogan Guides and co-authored The Book of Cities, an illustrated gazetteer to 250 cities worldwide.

Philip Dodd is a writer and publisher specialising in international and popular culture. Books he has contributed to include the Virgin City Guides, Images Of France and Images Of Spain. He was co-author, with Ben Donald, of The Book Of Cities. He lives in north London and Kent.