Describes the formation, naming, and colonization of the twenty-seven-year-old volcanic island Surtsey and how the first animals and plants became established there.
Noting that island ecosystems have always suffered high rates of extinction and that human activity increasingly carves the landscape into island-like fragments, David Quammen examines the conditions in many island ecosystems around the world.
Explores some of the ancient island civilizations of the world, the legends and mysteries surrounding them, and why some people choose to live in island societies.