The Age of Islands
The Age of Islands
New islands are being built at an unprecedented rate whether for tourism or territorial ambition, while many islands are disappearing or fragmenting because of rising sea levels. It is a strange planetary spectacle, creating an ever-changing map which even Google Earth struggles to keep pace with.
In The Age of Islands, explorer and geographer Alastair Bonnett takes the reader on a compelling and thought-provoking tour of the world's newest, most fragile and beautiful islands and reveals what, he argues, is one of the great dramas of our time.
From a 'crannog', an ancient artificial island in a Scottish loch, to the militarized artificial islands China is building in the South China Sea; from the disappearing islands that remain the home of native Central Americans to the ritzy new islands of Dubai; from Hong Kong and the Isles of Scilly to islands far away and near: all have urgent stories to tell.
Author : Alastair Bonnett
Edition : Atlantic Books, Hardback, 256 pages
ISBN : 9781786498090
Published : 7th May 2020
Weight: 460g
Dimensions: 221 x 147 x 29mm
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This alluring read includes 40 locations that are rife with disaster, chaos, paranormal activity, and death. The locations gathered here include the dangerous Strait of Messina, home of the mythical sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis; the coal town of Jharia, where the ground burns constantly with fire; Kasanka National Park in Zambia, where 8 million migrating bats darken the skies; the Nevada Triangle in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where hundreds of aircraft have disappeared; and Aokigahara Forest near Mount Fuji in Japan, the world's second most popular suicide location following the Golden Gate Bridge.
Author : Olivier Le Carrer
Edition : Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc, Hardback, 144 pages
ISBN : 9781631910005
Published : 12th November 2015
Weight: 694g
Dimensions: 191 x 267 x 20mm
In a world of Google Earth, in which it is easy to believe that every discovery has been made and every adventure already had, Off the Map is a stunning testament to how mysterious our planet still is.
From forgotten enclaves to floating islands, from hidden villages to New York gutter spaces, Off the Map charts the hidden corners of our planet. And while these are not necessarily places you would choose to visit on holiday - Hobyo, the pirate capital of Somalia, or Zheleznogorsk, a secret military town in Russia - they each carry a story about the strangeness of place and our need for a geography that understands our hunger for the fantastic and the unexpected.
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Author : Alastair Bonnett
Edition : Aurum Press, Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN : 9781781313619
Winner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year
'Magnificent' - Robert Macfarlane
Our lives depend on shipping but it is a world which is largely hidden from us. In every lonely corner of every sea, through every night, every day, and every imaginable weather, tiny crews of seafarers work the giant ships which keep landed life afloat.
These ordinary men live extraordinary lives, subject to dangers and difficulties we can only imagine, from hurricanes and pirates to years of confinement in hazardous, if not hellish, environments.
Horatio Clare joins two container ships on their epic voyages across the globe and experiences unforgettable journeys. As the ships cross seas of history and incident, seafarers unfold the stories of their lives, and a beautiful and terrifying portrait of the oceans and their human subjects emerges.
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‘An incredible and lyrical insight into those who traverse our oceans on vast ships, contrasting the chaotic and precision. Tales of piracy and unimaginable storms, alongside the pressure with which goods are shipped around our oceans and those who journey with them. It’s a read both inspiring adventure and cementing an appreciation and new found awe for the food and items we see on the shelves of high street shops and supermarkets and the journey they took to be there!’
Author : Horatio Clare
Edition : Paperback, Vintage, 368 pages
ISBN : 9780099526292
Weight: 255g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 22mm
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From the tiny island that shaped the entire English language, to the island that terrified Dylan Thomas, there's more to Britain's tiny islands than you might think! Have your own tiny adventure by visiting any of the 60 remarkable little islands around Britain featured here. Although Britain boasts hundreds of tiny islands, Dixe Wills has selected just the very best of them for this book. Found around the coast, in lakes, in lochs and on rivers, these little worlds are waiting for you to discover them - whether you swim to them, walk to them at low tide, row to them, or catch a dinky little ferry.
Author : Dixe Wills
Edition : AA Publishing, Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN : 9780749573874
Published : 1st May 2013
Weight: 640g
Dimensions: 210 x 150 x 25mm