From Treasure Island to Robben Island, from the paradise of Thomas More's 'Utopia' to Napoleon's purgatory on Elba, islands have proved irresistible to mankind's imagination since time immemorial. Self-confessed islomane Barry Smith explores how islands bewitch us so, and examines the kind of human experiences that islands inspire. Journeying all around the globe to take in the most fascinating stories of Earth's half a million islands, this book considers the unique geography, politics and economics of islands and their cultures. It traces their singular place in literature, religion and philosophy, and disentangles the myths and the facts to reveal just why islands exert such an insistent grip on the human psyche.

About the Author
Barry Smith is, it goes without saying, an islomane. He has spent much of his 60-odd years at work, rest and play on islands all around the world - from Scotland's Western Isles to Sicily, from Alaska to Cape Horn. To cap it all, he has completed a doctoral dissertation... about islands. He lives in northern Scotland and France.

Reviews
"Magisterial... A harrowing, enthralling piece of work that bears comparison with John Prebble's equally dense, equally passionate classic, The Highland Clearances ... [A] fascinating, scrupulous, angry, scholarly book." Jim Perrin, The Great Outdoors; "Fascinating and wide-ranging." Island Review; "A fascinating survey of the interplay between those little dots of land and the human imagination ... Smith is excellent on the ways in which islands have always been pawns in geopolitical games...witty." Geographical



Book Information
ISBN 9781910192795
Author Barry Smith
Format Hardback
Page Count 352
Imprint Saraband
Publisher Saraband