Isolarii Revives Renaissance 'Island Books' as Pocket-Sized Antidote to Digital Scrolling

Isolarii, a modern book series coedited by India Ennenga and Sebastian Clark in New York, brings back a Venetian literary style from the 15th to 17th centuries known as 'island books,' which intertwine reality and fiction about Mediterranean settings. This collection comprises six volumes that create an 'archipelago' of innovative perspectives, with editions designed to match iPhone size and featuring 80-100 words per page. The initiative, inspired by Clark's experiences while covering Foxconn assembly lines, encourages traditional reading over digital scrolling. Among the highlighted titles are Yevgenia Belorusets's Modern Animal (2021), Salmon: A Red Herring (2020) by Cooking Sections, and Archipelago, which includes conversations between Hans Ulrich Obrist and Édouard Glissant. Each softcover is priced at £12, providing a counter to smartphone dependency.