- Paperback: 342 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Press ( London ); New edition edition (1 Jun 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0593052072
- ISBN-13: 978-0593052075
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.4 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 185,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The White Island
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £4.35
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in The White Island for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £4.35, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Received wisdom has it that Ibiza is an island of Union Jack-shorted beerboys singing 'Here we go, here we go, here we go' on their way to a 24-hour rave. But the reality of the island today is very different. It is, and always has been, a magnet for hedonists, but la Isla Blanca is actually a sophisticated, cosmopolitan island of enormous natural beauty - far more Jade Jagger than Jordan. The island's history reads like a history of pleasure itself. The Carthaginians established a cult there to Tanit, their goddess of sex, around 650 BC and named the island after Bez, their god of dance. Roman centurions in need of a bit of down time between campaigns would go to Ibiza to get their kicks. And over the centuries virtually every culture around the Mediterranean has used the island either as a playground or as a dump for the kind of people who didn't quite fit in back home, but who you'd probably quite like to meet at a party. Stephen Armstrong tells for the first time the fascinating history of this fantasy island. It is a story of invasions and migrations, of artists and conmen, of drop outs and love-ins. This narrative is framed by Stephen's highly entertaining experiences during one long, golden summer on Ibiza, an island where anything can happen - and it usually does.
From the Back Cover
Received wisdom has it that Ibiza is an island of Union Jack-shorted beerboys singing 'Here we go, here we go, here we go' on their way to a 24-hour rave. But the reality of the island today is very different. It is, and always has been, a magnet for hedonists, but la Isla Blanca is actually a sophisticated, cosmopolitan island of enormous natural beauty - far more Jade Jagger than Jordan.
The island's history reads like a history of pleasure itself. The Carthaginians established a cult there to Tanit, their goddess of sex, around 650 BC and named the island after Bez, their god of dance. Roman centurions in need of a bit of down time between campaigns would go to Ibiza to get their kicks. And over the centuries virtually every culture around the Mediterranean has used the island either as a playground or as a dump for the kind of people who didn't quite fit in back home, but who you'd probably quite like to meet at a party.
Stephen Armstrong tells for the first time the fascinating history of this fantasy island. It is a story of invasions and migrations, of artists and conmen, of drop outs and love-ins. This narrative is framed by Stephen's highly entertaining experiences during one long, golden summer on Ibiza, an island where anything can happen - and it usually does.
The island's history reads like a history of pleasure itself. The Carthaginians established a cult there to Tanit, their goddess of sex, around 650 BC and named the island after Bez, their god of dance. Roman centurions in need of a bit of down time between campaigns would go to Ibiza to get their kicks. And over the centuries virtually every culture around the Mediterranean has used the island either as a playground or as a dump for the kind of people who didn't quite fit in back home, but who you'd probably quite like to meet at a party.
Stephen Armstrong tells for the first time the fascinating history of this fantasy island. It is a story of invasions and migrations, of artists and conmen, of drop outs and love-ins. This narrative is framed by Stephen's highly entertaining experiences during one long, golden summer on Ibiza, an island where anything can happen - and it usually does.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've always enjoyed Stephen Armstrong's lively features in The Sunday Times and Wallpaper, so I was pleased to see that he had got round to writing an entire book - and more importantly, that it's great. The White Island is a personal history of Ibiza, taking the view that it has been a centre of hedonism from the Roman times to acid house. Armstrong intersperses the history with personal anecdotes about his own occasional hedonistic moments. A great travel book.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Despite being an Ibiza veteran I really knew very little about the history of the island. I took this book to read whilst there last year and it inspired me to hire a car, get out and about and see as much of the island as possible.
If you've never been to Ibiza this book will make you want to go. If you've been before, this book will remind you why you fell in love with the place.
Parts of it brought tears to my eyes. A fantastic book, unreservedly worth 5 stars!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a "must" for any first-time or returning visitor to Iiza. Funny, interesting and a dizzy mixture of history, social perspective and personal memories. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Recommended
A very interesting take on the history of Ibiza with an entertaining personal experience thrown in. If you know Ibiza or have an interest in the island this book is a must.
Published 19 months ago by Andrew Wynn
dull
This book does little justice to its subject. Spanish and Catalan names are mixed up with irritating frequency and the author's fairly lame and occasionally bungling experiences... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Felix73
ibiza forever
very good written, history, antropology, culture, philosophy.
very objective, although the writer put his words in fictionary style.
I want to go again to IBIZA. Read more
very objective, although the writer put his words in fictionary style.
I want to go again to IBIZA. Read more
Published on 14 May 2010 by R. A. Vijverberg
Interesting subject, poorly written, painfully padded out at times
I took this book with me on holiday to Ibiza with great expectations. This could have been a great book, but it's really not and I would give it a miss. Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2009 by Ch0pski
Great ebayer
Great ebayer - book out of print but supplied a pristine and bound copy.
Thanks
Thanks
Published on 23 July 2009 by Mr. Charles Arthy
Great read. Explores the reasons why there is no place quite like...
Stephen's book delves deep into the historical reasons behind why there is no place like Ibiza. Having been there myself, I felt like this was a place far different from any other... Read more
Published on 5 April 2008 by Richard Overington
Great
This is a great book for those who know and love Ibiza or those who have not been lucky enough to visit the island.
Published on 1 Aug 2006 by Mr. M. R. Wilkinson
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
