This is such a bizarre premise for a book - and yet likely to appeal to anybody who has ever been an Atlas Adventurer - someone who explored the world and their imagination using only an atlas. Well, I did that as a kid and even now, so the idea of vicariously exploring these oscure places appealed to me a lot. Vicariously at two removes, since the author hasn't been to any of them, either. (I have met people who've been to two of the places in this book, though.)

The design of the book is amazing, compressing a remarkable amount of geographical and historical information into two pages for each island whilst retaining clarity and aesthetic appeal, as all atlases should. I suspect researching such obscure places was also a challenge even with access to the power of the internet.

Elegent, interesting and unique; a fabulous book.