Amazing Islands: 100+ Places that will Boggle Your Mind
BY SABRINA WEISS, ILLUSTRATED BY KERRY HYNDMAN, WHAT ON EARTH BOOKS, £14.99
The eruption in 2014 of an underwater volcano in the South Pacific gave birth to the island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, one of the world’s newest islands. And while scientists expected it to be washed away within months, today, it is reported to be home to flowering plants and even burrowing owls. In 2018, Hurricane Walaka washed away the whole of Hawaii’s East Island, home to Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles.
As a reminder of the impermanence of everything we take as stable, Amazing Islands is aptly named. Beautifully illustrated, this isn’t a natural history so much as a look at islands of every kind – from the unique wildlife on Madagascar to the culture of island nations. Along the way, we explore the geological wonders and artificial islands.
There’s no great depth to any one subject but, as an overview, Amazing Islands is more than enough to whet the appetite for discovery.