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These Islands: Portrait of the British Isles told through powerful imagery, prose and poetry

These Islands is a portrait of the British Isles told through powerful imagery, prose and poetry. It is the first book from Francis, a newly formed publishing house and creative studio by the creators of Cereal magazine.

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White hardcover book titled These Islands featuring a photograph of a white coastal lighthouse against stormy seas on its cover

It takes the reader on a journey across the landscape, both natural and urban, that forms the British Isles. Explore the peaks of Snowdonia, the shadows of Glen Coe, the rural idylls of the Lake District, and the windswept paths of the Wild Atlantic Way. Walk the historic streets of London, trace the elegant curves of Bath, and climb the gothic spires of Edinburgh. Cross to the Isle of Skye in the north, sail to the Isles of Scilly in the south.

Writers Richard Aslan and Charlie Lee-Potter guide you through these islands, their words casting light on the landscape and uncovering the fascination hidden beneath the surface. Alongside the 13 location pieces, three longer essays reveal the romance of rain, study the geological history of the islands, and discuss the characteristics of its wildlife.

Photographers Finn Beales, Jonathan Gregson, Kate Holstein and Rich Stapleton – selected for the visual drama they provide to the pages to Cereal – bring brooding skies, crashing seas, hills, forests, pinnacles and battlements. Artist Spencer Fung’s four unique canvasses, meanwhile, provide evocative stopping points along the way.

Designed by Studio Faculty and printed on G . F Smith papers, the book is imbued with the same high production values and sense of beauty as Cereal magazine. These Islands is a title that combines a meticulous eye for detail, striking visuals, and intricately researched content.

Published on 25 April, priced at £45. Discover more and pre-order at shop.readcereal.com.

Open book spread from These Islands showing two photographs of architectural structures reflected in green water
Open spread from These Islands book showing blank left page and right page with aerial photograph of coastline with curved shoreline and moss-covered terrain
Open book displaying white chalk cliffs with a solitary sea stack and turquoise waters, from These Islands publication
Open book spread showing Big Ben photographed against a misty sky on the left page, with body text on the right page
Stone archways lead to the thermal waters of the Roman Baths in Bath, with Georgian architecture visible beyond
White chalk cliffs rise from a rocky shoreline beside a grey sea with a striped lighthouse visible in the distance under overcast skies
Dense coniferous forest with tall evergreen trees backlit by golden sunlight filtering through the canopy
Snow-capped mountains rise in the distance beneath brooding clouds, with dark moorland slopes in the foreground under dramatic sky
Abstract watercolour painting with horizontal bands of white, grey and neutral tones suggesting a misty landscape
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