The eighth edition of the dimunitive isolarii (meaning ‘island texts’) celebrates the life of James Lovelock, evironmentalist, futurist, and originator of the Gaia theory that the Earth functions as a self-regulating system. Lovelock died last year, aged 103. Daisy Hildyard opens the issue with an overview of Lovelock’s life and introduces Gaia, then Hans Ulbrch Obrist recounts a vist and interview with Lovelock from 2015.