Jess Gift Ideas for Environment and Travel

Pocket Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky

This tiny neon-coloured book is a wonderful gift for anyone interested in far-flung places. It consists of simple, three-colour prints of island maps, side by side with information about each location. The book is beautifully designed - as might be expected from Schalansky, an award winning graphic designer and typography lecturer. It's as much a work of art as an information book and a real delight to read.

Being Ecological by Timothy Morton

A mix between ecology and philosophy, 'Being Ecological' is not a practical guide to living a more environmentally friendly life. Rather it is an intellectual one, suggesting a reframing our approach to the world around us and how we see ourselves in it. It argues for the importance of experience, and is a perfect companion to more data driven approaches.

An Atlas of Extinct Countries by Gideon Defoe

When I was very little, it never even occurred to me that countries were not immutable and I remember distinctly my shock when I realised that borders could change - and that "some countries were only just made up!" This book tracks the strange, unusual and sometimes funny histories of how states can fall off the map. How did a boating accident cause the end of the Isles of Refreshment? I guess you'll have to read the book to find out.

Strata: William Smith's Geological Maps by Robert MacFarlane

This book is no small volume, but it is one of the most beautiful coffee table books I've seen recently. Published by the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the book reprints geologist William Smith's hand-coloured geological map of Britain alongside photographs of fossils from each location, with words by Robert MacFarlane (author of Underland, The Old Ways). History of science is always a fascinating subject, and this book presents it in such a stunning way.