The Island in Imagination and Experience by Barry Smith

The Island in Imagination and Experience by Barry Smith

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.

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

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.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781910192795
ISBN 10	1910192791
Title	The Island in Imagination and Experience
Author	Barry Smith
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Saraband
Year published	2017-06-15
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.