Beginning with the accepted model for Robinson Crusoe’s remote abode, Mas a Tierra in the Pacific, Clarke takes the reader on a tour of his favorite islands, exploring their geography, history and culture. Extending from Jura where George Orwell’s wrote ‘1984′, to the beautiful Maldives. The book takes the reader to some of the most curious, evocative and exotic places in the world.  

You can find the book on Amazon.com

In addition to insightful articles, the magazine features 114 pages of high resolution images, including some islands that have never before been photographed!  As the world’s only publication devoted exclusively to luxury private island real estate and travel, the magazine is designed for the independent, entrepreneurial personality, and is dedicated to those who want to “make their mark.”

Included with your purchase of the magazine is the Island Buyers Guide, which is described as the essential guidebook to purchasing, developing, and selling private islands.  I have heard great things about it, and it’s being called the definitive resources for any investor interested in purchasing a private island.

I am really excited about this magazine and have already ordered my copy. Visit Private Islands Magazine to order your’s now, apparently supplies are limited.

Until now there has never been a magazine entirely dedicated to Private Islands and Private Island living. Recently the first edition of the Private Islands Magazine was published. 

The magazine is truly an islomaniacs dream, and I am must say I’m envious of their accomplishment. The magazine has an increidble variety of articles about all aspects of private island life. There is an excellent article about Teva Victor who grew up on a private island in Bora Bora, and an interesting article about Mel Gibsons Mago Island in Fiji. The best part of this magazine is its amazing high resolution photos of islands around the world, many of which have never been seen before.

Another unique feature of this intrepid magazine is you can take Google Earth tours of unique island destinations. One click of a button will have you whisked around the world visiting popular celebrity islands or the world’s most exclusive island resorts.

The magazine available exclusively online at www.privateislandsmag.com. Expect to see the print edition in stores in early 2009. To subscribe in advance for the print edition click here.

l has inspired and captured the

The main character and the narrator of the novel is Jim Hawkins a young boy from Bristol England. Jim Hawkins, is the son of a guesthouse owner in Bristol England sometime in the eighteenth century. To the inn come firstly an old buccaneer who has a map of Captain Flint’s treasure, and secondly a group of pirates under the command of ominous blind man Pew. Jim Hawkins, our hero, in an act of bravery and cunning gets hold of the map before this rabid mob gets it. He delivers the map to Squire Trelawney, and together they set off for Treasure Island in the Squire’s schooner. The rest of the crew, apart from Dr Livesey (a friend of the squire) are a company collected by Long John Silver. The latter and his men try to mutiny and get hold of the treasure themselves but Jim intervenes and through a series of enthralling adventures we find ourselves on Treasure Island with the marooned Ben Gunn and ever closer to the treasure itself.

You can buy treasure island at any bookstore and of course you can get it at any library.

The book is impeccably organized and designed, covering every region including French Polynesia, Pitcairn Islands, Easter Islands, Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga, Fiji and more. Each region is described based on factors such as geography, history, attractions, places to stay, places to eat and much much more. Furthermore each region discusses the sub regions and individual islands providing a more detailed analysis of what is to be seen and done in that area. The guide also discusses how to get to the island, provides maps of the various islands, and provides tips on what you should bring with you to the islands.

Here is a summary of the contents of the section on Easter Island

• The land including a description of the flora and fauna, the climate (including climate charts) and a detailed map of the island.
• The history of the island including a description of the first Polynesians, European contact, colonialism. In addition, the guide also separates the fact from the fiction when describing this famous islands history.
• The government and politics of the island
• A description of the people and culture of the island as well as a guide for how one should conduct themselves on the island
• A comprehensive description of the sites and attractions on the various regions of the island.
• The guide lists virtually every accommodation available on the island. This section has been organized by price so that it’s easy to find accommodations in every price level.
• There is a complete description of the food available on the island and places to eat.
• Finally there is a full description of island currency, transportation (including flights, yacht facilities, package tours and getting around on the island).

Overall South Pacific is a well researched, exceptionally written and logically indexed book that provides and informative and in-depth analysis of an often neglected region in the travel industry. Therefore if you are at all considering traveling to any of the South Pacific Islands I would encourage you to pick up a copy of this book.

The book retails for $24.95 in the US which is exceptionally affordable considering it is over one thousand pages in length.

Update: You can find out more information about this book at David’s South Pacific website.

Image source:

I believe that the portrayal of islands in literature started our fascination with islands. Books like Gulliver’s Travels, The Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe all were published in a time when the seas were still a mysterious frontier rife with possibilities and adventure. Obviously islands played a huge role in these books and they became engraved in the collective societal consciousness as places of solitude, adventure and romance.

What makes human fascination with islands unique is that it has not been a generational obsession. Unlike most colonial interests, society’s obsession with islands has been adopted by successive generations. While island books of the past remain popular, new mediums such as film and television have continued to feature islands as places of wonder, escape and isolation. Films like Castaway, Lord of the Flies, Hell in the Pacific and Blue Lagoon, as well as TV programs like Survivor and LOST have all maintained humanities island interests.

I am left wondering what the future holds for private islands? I have no doubt that humanity will continue to be fascinated by these tiny atolls. I more interested in how the media will continue to endorse these properties. Real life simulators such as Second Life have already begun to sell their own virtual private islands. In addition with the presence of global warming threatening to eradicate many of our islands, I am left wondering if the private island of the future exists not in our oceans, but in our hard drives.

Click here for an extensive list of fictional private islands.