This far-reaching and multidisciplinary overview of the study of islands celebrates the wealth and scope of what islands can offer in the search for knowledge and wisdom. In 16 chapters, scholars from North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, including Stephen A. Royle of Queen's University, Belfast, Barry Bartmann of the University of Prince Edward Island, and Andrew Berry of Harvard University, discuss subjects ranging from flora and fauna to archaeology, from war and security to governance, and from tourism to migration, contributing to the study of islands and island life. Published in collaboration with Agenda, in Malta, this pioneering reader in island studies offers an indispensible look at island life.