Isolated in the vastness of the South Atlantic and fortress-like in appearance, the Island of St Helena was important for centuries only as a victualling station for ships of the British East India Company, on their long voyages to and from India via the Cape of Good Hope. It was on one of these journeys that Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, took note of the island's remote impregnability. It was Wellington who suggested St Helena as Napoleon Bonaparte's place of imprisonment and exile after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815. Until his death in 1821, the former Emperor spent his final years under constant British guard. His exile transformed a speck on the maritime map into the most famous island in the world.

The island of St Helena, in the South Atlantic, is one of the most remote and most famous islands in the world. The Duke of Wellington had stopped at the island on his way back from India and had been struck by its remoteness, leading him to recommend it as Napoleon's place of imprisonment after his defeat in 1815, thrusting the island to the centre of world affairs. But where does this legacy leave St Helena today? The island is a unique colonial survivor, almost without an economy of its own. Lacking an airport, the only regular link is by the Royal Mail Ship. The inhabitants are dependent on the support of the British government and the island relies solely on its history, and the tourists attracted by Napoleon's last residence. This fascinating book is a vivid account of a visit to 'the last place on earth' and how a remote people and place respond to their legacy and isolation in a global world.