Here's a pleasing little book for dreamers and inveterate travelers.
They say members of Washington's political class turn straight to the index of new bestsellers, to see if they're mentioned. The hard core traveler will turn to this atlas's contents straightaway, to see how many of the islands they've visited.
Atlas of Remote Islands is subtitled Fifty Islands I have Never Set Foot On and Never Will, suggesting its author is an armchair traveler. She gives each island a map and a little vignette.
Three samples:
- Howland Island: "She is tall and thin. Next to her, standing lke a shy, diligent girl, is her navigator, Fred Noonan."
- Napuka: "When they finally sight land after fifty days, they find nowhere to drop anchor, and the boats that they land on the island discover nothing to satisfy either hunger or thirst. They name the islands the Disappointment Islands...."
- Amsterdam Island: "No one is allowed to settle here, so the personnal at the research station changes constantly. Some of the men stay for only a few months, but most for a year and a half.... There is no boat. Where would they take it?"
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