Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky

Our bestselling Christmas title is back in stock at last: Fifty Islands I have not visited and never will. On one page are her perfect maps, on the other unfold cryptic stories from the islands. Rare animals and strange people abound: marooned slaves and lonely scientists, lost explorers and confused lighthouse keepers, mutinous sailors and forgotten castaways. Armchair explorers who undertake these journeys will find themselves in places that exist in reality, but only come to life in the imagination.

Hardback edition now on sale in the Caught by the River shop, priced £21