Between the continents of Australia and Asia lie 13,000 islands teeming with life not seen anywhere else on the globe, an amazing biodiversity first analysed by Alfred Russel Wallace in 1854. Wallace found that the wildlife of the Malay Archipelago sharply divided into Australian and Asian, leading him to the conclusion that all the islands east of Bali and Borneo essentially form part of the Australian continent. This book retraces Wallace's journeys through the islands of South-east Asia, explaining his theory and how it has been interpreted by biologists since. A wonderful work of reconstruction, and a insightful look at the natural history of a remarkable region.