Islands
From Atlantis to Zanzibar
Steven Roger FischerOur planet hosts over a million islands. From Britain to Japan, Mauritius to Manhattan, they are small living geological, biological and cultural laboratories. This title reveals how since time began islands have been one of the primary birthplaces for plants, animals and proto-humans.
Our planet hosts over a million islands. From Britain to Japan, Mauritius to Manhattan, they are small living geological, biological and cultural laboratories. Ranging from the ancient continents to the accretions of an ocean sandbank, they can lie in the sea, in a river, in a lake. Some are entire countries: Madagascar, Jamaica, Iceland. Other countries are multiple large islands: Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand. Islands can feature two or more nations like Borneo, or Hispaniola. Some islands sustain one crofter’s hut; others host Earth’s largest metropolises: New York, Singapore, Hong Kong. Hundreds have been notorious penal colonies; a refreshing number are now wildlife refuges. Whether colossal or compact, Islands is the first global introduction to these ‘lands surrounded by liquid’.
Historian, linguist, philologist, island expert and long-time island-dweller Steven Roger Fischer reveals how since time began islands have been one of the primary birthplaces for plants, animals and proto-humans. He shows how these same islets and eyots of stone and sand fostered our species, Homo sapiens, who then exploited these remarkable habitats as stepping-stones to global dominion.
Seeding our imagination from Atlantis to Tahiti, from Treasure Island to Jurassic Park, islands have cradled and enriched, thrilled and lured, terrified and inspired. Encompassing many aspects of geology, biology and culture, from island economics, warfare and politics to literature, art and psychology, Islands chronicles how these isolated mini-worlds are, ultimately, a measure of human-kind itself.
Our planet hosts over a million islands. From Britain to Japan, Mauritius to Manhattan, they are small living geological, biological and cultural laboratories. This title reveals how since time began islands have been one of the primary birthplaces for plants, animals and proto-humans.
Our planet hosts over a million islands. From Britain to Japan, Mauritius to Manhattan, they are small living geological, biological and cultural laboratories. Ranging from the ancient continents to the accretions of an ocean sandbank, they can lie in the sea, in a river, in a lake. Some are entire countries: Madagascar, Jamaica, Iceland. Other countries are multiple large islands: Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand. Islands can feature two or more nations like Borneo, or Hispaniola. Some islands sustain one crofter’s hut; others host Earth’s largest metropolises: New York, Singapore, Hong Kong. Hundreds have been notorious penal colonies; a refreshing number are now wildlife refuges. Whether colossal or compact, Islands is the first global introduction to these ‘lands surrounded by liquid’.
Historian, linguist, philologist, island expert and long-time island-dweller Steven Roger Fischer reveals how since time began islands have been one of the primary birthplaces for plants, animals and proto-humans. He shows how these same islets and eyots of stone and sand fostered our species, Homo sapiens, who then exploited these remarkable habitats as stepping-stones to global dominion.
Seeding our imagination from Atlantis to Tahiti, from Treasure Island to Jurassic Park, islands have cradled and enriched, thrilled and lured, terrified and inspired. Encompassing many aspects of geology, biology and culture, from island economics, warfare and politics to literature, art and psychology, Islands chronicles how these isolated mini-worlds are, ultimately, a measure of human-kind itself.
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From Charles Darwins moment in the Galapagos to the cultural efflorescence of Minoan Crete, islands are laboratories, havens, touchstones. In this tour of their biology, geology and culture, Fischer offers a taste of the million or so mini-biomes studding Earths rivers, lakes and oceans . . . He is a brilliant guide
'Nature
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In this astonishingly wide-ranging survey, [Fischer] tells us all about how islands have enchanted writers and artists, provoked clashes between lofty rulers, egged on greedy merchants and defined the world in which we live . . . the author provides so many unexpected and fascinating nuggets . . . I encourage you to read this book . . . the geographical and topical range is impressive, the prose is modest but compelling . . . A charming and thought-provoking read
'Geographical Magazine
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as cultural places and spaces, islands represent the first and last frontier of human existence and organization indeed, to comprehend the complexity of that which is human, one must endeavor to recognize the enduring significance and necessity of islands. A broad, insightful exploration of the discursive nature of islands. Recommended
'Choice
Preface
1. . . . of Stone and Sand
2. . . . of Ferns and Feathers
3. . . . of First Footprints
4. . . . of Tins and Tans
5. . . . of First Nations
6. . . . of Moons and Sixpence
7. . . . of Palettes and Pipes
8. . . . of the Mind
9. The Last Isle
References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Steven Roger Fischer FRS is the author of many popular books including A History of Language (1999) and A History of Writing (2001), both published by Reaktion.
