Islands : nature and culture
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Islands : nature and culture
(Earth series)
Reaktion Books, 2014
- : [pbk.]
Available at 3 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Cover title
Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-215) and index.
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Islands are contradictory places: they can be remote, mysterious spots, or lively centres of holiday revelry. They are associated alternately with escape, imprisonment, holiday and exile, and their alluring natural beauty and remoteness has inspired artists and writers across the centuries. Islands have been places of immense scientific, political and creative importance, from Darwin's enlightening voyage to the Galapagos Islands, which resulted in his groundbreaking theory of evolution, to the moated prisons that have incarcerated dangerous convicts and freedom fighters alike.In this cultural and scientific history of these alluring, often isolated, territories, Stephen A. Royle describes the great variety of islands scattered around the world, their economies, and the animals, plants and people living on them. He shows that despite the view of some islands as earthly paradises, they are often beset by severe limitations in both resources and opportunities. Many islands have faced population loss in recent decades, and some islanders have developed their homelands into tourist destinations in order to combat economic instability.
Islands often conjure up exotic, otherworldly beauty and have provided both refuge and inspiration for artists and writers, such as Paul Gauguin in Tahiti and George Orwell on the Scottish island of Jura. Filled with intriguing illustrations, Islands is a compelling and comprehensive survey of the geographical and cultural aspects of island life.
by "Nielsen BookData"