Overview

Islands have been at the heart of our desires, and our fears, forever. *Island* tells the groundbreaking story of humans and islands, and islands and nature, from the beginning of time to the present. Drawing on history, literature, art, anthropology, biology, and earth science, *Island* explores the human settlement of islands--including the seafaring skills required to cross the seas--and describes in vivid detail the spectacular flora and fauna of islands as well as their earth-shattering geology. It shows that ever since humans have been traveling and telling tales, they have been fascinated by islands. Creation stories around the world speak of land rising out of the water, and there are many literary island encounters--from Noah to Prospero and Gulliver, and from Ulysses to Robinson Crusoe and the Count of Monte Cristo. In real life, too, sailors and settlers, explorers and scientists, pirates and artists, have all been drawn to islands. The story of islands is also the story of our planet, from its beginning as an island in space to the contemporary appearance and disappearance of islands in the cycles of climate change and seismic upheavals.

Full Product Details

9781933346922

Table of Contents

Reviews

A delightful, enlightening book that employs islands as jumping-off points for essays on a wide range of topics from A(nthropology) to Z(oology)...A slim book that takes readers on a mind-expanding journey. --KIRKUS REVIEWS. ..Chamberlin approaches his vast subject, the islands of the world, from every angle...[a] wealth of information for island enthusiasts. --LIBRARY JOURNAL The wealth of fascinating detail makes for an instructive and entertaining read. --HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW Chamberlin's *Island* is an extremely pleasant read. Elegant...there are serendipitous delights... --THE SPECTATOR (U.K.)Praise for Chamberlin's *Horse*: . ..a truly grand subject...a philosophical history and a lyrical essay. --THE WASHINGTON POST Both as a genuine labor of love and awe and as a treasure trove of equinalia, Horse is bound to find many delighted fans. --LOS ANGELES TIMES. ..a sweeping historical and cultural viewpoint. --SUN SENTINEL. ..if you can't own a horse or ride one, reading this book is a good second best. In fact, it might get you riding, so be careful. --THE GLOBE AND MAIL

A delightful, enlightening book that employs islands as jumping-off points for essays on a wide range of topics from A(nthropology) to Z(oology)...A slim book that takes readers on a mind-expanding journey. --KIRKUS REVIEWS ...Chamberlin approaches his vast subject, the islands of the world, from every angle...[a] wealth of information for island enthusiasts. --LIBRARY JOURNAL The wealth of fascinating detail makes for an instructive and entertaining read. --HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW Chamberlin's *Island* is an extremely pleasant read. Elegant...there are serendipitous delights... --THE SPECTATOR (U.K.) Praise for Chamberlin's *Horse*: ...a truly grand subject...a philosophical history and a lyrical essay. --THE WASHINGTON POST Both as a genuine labor of love and awe and as a treasure trove of equinalia, Horse is bound to find many delighted fans. --LOS ANGELES TIMES ...a sweeping historical and cultural viewpoint. --SUN SENTINEL ...if you can't own a horse or ride one, reading this book is a good second best. In fact, it might get you riding, so be careful. --THE GLOBE AND MAIL

Author Information

J. EDWARD CHAMBERLIN is University Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and was the Senior Research Associate with the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. He has lectured around the world, was a visiting professor at the University of Michigan, and has received an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies. His books include *Horse: How the Horse Has Shaped Civilizations*; *If This Is Your Land, Where Are Your Stories?*; and *Come Back to Me My Language: Poetry and the West Indies*. He is married to the Jamaican poet Lorna Goodison and lives, with a view of islands, on the Pacific coast of Canada.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available