Barry Smith
Barry Smith is, it goes without saying, an islomane. He has spent much of his 60-odd years at work, rest and play on islands all around the world β from Scotlandβs Western Isles to Sicily, from Alaska to Cape Horn. To cap it all, he has completed a doctoral dissertation… about islands. He lives in northern Scotland and France.
The Island in Imagination and Experience
by Barry Smith
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From Treasure Island to Robben Island, from the paradise of Thomas Moreβs βUtopiaβ to Napoleonβs purgatory on Elba, islands have proved irresistible to mankindβs imagination since time immemorial. Self-confessed islomane Barry Smith explores how islands bewitch us so, and examines the kind of human experiences that islands inspire.
Journeying all around the globe to take in the most fascinating stories of Earthβs half a million islands, this book considers the unique geography, politics and economics of islands and their cultures. It traces their singular place in literature, religion and philosophy, and disentangles the myths and the facts to reveal just why islands exert such an insistent grip on the human psyche.
REVIEWS OF The Island in Imagination and Experience
"Magisterialβ¦ A harrowing, enthralling piece of work that bears comparison with John Prebbleβs equally dense, equally passionate classic, The Highland Clearances." Jim Perrin, The Great Outdoors
"A fascinating survey of the interplay between those little dots of land and the human imagination β¦ Smith is excellent on the ways in which islands have always been pawns in geopolitical gamesβ¦witty." Geographical
"Fascinating and wide-ranging." Island Review
"Nothing Barry Smith says makes me want to live on islands but if you want to read about them, heβs your man." Alan Taylor, Herald
