The idea is brilliantly simple: fifty islands, each of which is covered with a beautifully-drawn map opposite a page of text that combines fact and fantasy in just the right proportions.
The islands range from tiny Arctic outcrops to the famous Easter Island, from Napoleon's prison island of St Helena to Diego Garcia.
The typography is delightful: a modern twist on a classic look, with a subtle range of muted colours which is surprisingly effective.
The whole package is wonderful, although I'm ambivalent about this sort of deconstruction:
But I think I understand why they might want to be able to see all the islands at once, to drink in their charms.
It says a great deal for my own evil sexism that, not having bothered to look at the author's name, I assumed something as geeky and obsessive as this was of course made by a man.
The author is a rather fine German graphic designer called Judith Schalansky.
3 comments:
Fascinating: I shall look out for it. I wonder if perhaps, and rather secretly, she also drives a bus?
Wow, there's twenty bucks I didn't need to drop today. That looks beautiful.
"A geek like me recognises the slow, inexorable smile that spreads across our face as we stand in a bookshop and turn the pages of a previously unknown book -- but one which we immediately realise we must possess."
I am stunned and gratified to realise that I am not the only one with this aspect in my character, as some of the madder tomes on my shelves will demonstrate. Many thanks for making my world a less lonely place! :)
BTW - I have a book on Nomadic Furniture that I bought, hoping to find stories of sofas that given half a chance bolted off down to your neighbour's house. Sadly, it is actually about furniture OWNED by nomads. But it still raises a smile....
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