Description:
Even if you only look at the photos, this book is one in a series of worthwhile collections by National Geographic's book division that never fails to inspire. Islands Lost in Time transports you around the world to explore the little-known island worlds of The Andamans, Pitcairn and Norfolk, Gotland, Juan Fernández, and The Aeolians. "It is an unexpected irony of our shrinking world that some less economically dynamic places are now more isolated than when the world seemed bigger," writes Leslie Allen in the introduction. "Here and there remain a few islands where, in different ways, today is still yesterday." Although culturally worlds apart, this book shows how many of these islanders share a fierce pride in their traditions, providing the visitor with an unusually clear view into the past. True to Geographic style, the stories accompanying the photographs are evocative and personal, historical and memorable. Almost lost in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, Pitcairn and Norfolk preserve the tales of one of the world's most famous naval mutinies. In India's secluded Andamans, the Jarawa people--a hunter-gatherer group with only 40 members left--struggle to maintain their lifestyle in the modern world. Chile's Jaun Fernández was the home of the real Robinson Crusoe, whose rescuer described him as "a Man cloth'd in Goat-Skins, who look'd wilder than the first Owners of them." The combined photos and stories stir the imagination with adventure to spare. --Kathryn True
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