Islomania

“What is about islands that has captivated millions of people around the world and through the centuries? Why do they inspire feelings of enormous passion, serenity and sometimes fear?

In this brilliantly written book that interweaves travel, history, politics, personality, and ancient and popular culture into one compelling narrative, Thurston Clarke island hops around the oceans of the world, searching for answers to these questions.

From Más a Tierra, the inspiration for Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, to Malekula, once the most notorious cannibal island in the world; from Patmos with its imposing mountaintop monastery, to Jura in the Hebrides, where George Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four, Islomania is infused with Thurston Clarke’s own personal love affair with these remarkable places.
Written with wit and  sensitivity, it blends charming insights into this all-too human obsession with the overwhelming spirit of adventure and exploration.”