The desert island has been one of the powerful and insistent motifs in British literature and this book deals with the reproduction of the desert island myth during the era of high imperialism in 19th century Britain. The book examines a series of works from Defoe to Stevenson.

The latitudes of Empire - Jules Verne's mysterious islands; islands of civility, seas of savagery; "Slaves to Adventure" - the pure story of "Treasure Island".