The Age of Islands: In Search of New and Disappearing Islands

From a 'crannog', an ancient artificial island in a Scottish loch, to the militarised 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. Alastair Bonnett has a deep knowledge of history and contemporary geopolitics and is a seasoned traveller with a writer's eye for telling detail. He gives us a tour of our terrifying but often beautiful new world. 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 his book the explorer and geographer Bonnett takes us on a compelling tour of the world's newest, most fragile and beautiful islands on an ambitious journey by wing, sail, rubber and road as he respectfully drags geography back to its roots.