Although it is among the smallest of Georgia’s Golden Isles, Jekyll Island boasts a depth of history rivaling that of its larger neighbors. The island embraces two National Historic Landmarks, a listing reserved for the nation’s most significant treasures. More than fifty archaeological sites have been excavated on Jekyll; others remain unexplored, including an Indian burial mound discovered recently on the grounds of a beachfront motel.

Written in a lively, accessible style by Jingle Davis and lavishly illustrated with photographs by Benjamin Galland, Island Passages is a solid work of public history that presents a carefully researched document of Jekyll Island, from itsgeologic beginning as a shifting sand spit to its present-day ownership by the state of Georgia.

While many books have been published about Jekyll, most focus on specific eras or episodes of island history―such as the Jekyll Island Club, the landing of the slaveship Wanderer, and the Du Bignon family dynasty. Davis and Galland’s book makes an important contribution to the island’s literature because it synthesizes all these aspects into a comprehensive and beautifully executed history that will appeal to coastal and island history aficionados and the general reader alike.