The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is stranded on an
uninhabited island far away from any shipping routes. With patience and
ingenuity, he transforms his island into a tropical paradise. For
twenty-four years he has no human company, until one Friday, he rescues
a prisoner from a boat of cannibals.
With Robinson Crusoe, Defoe wrote what is regarded as the
first English novel, and created one of the most popular and enduring
myths in literature. Written in an age of exploration and enterprise,
it has been variously interpreted as an embodiment of British
imperialist values, as a portrayal of 'natural man', or as a moral
fable. But above all it is a brilliant narrative.
You would never guess that this novel was published nearly 300 years ago — the exploits of its hero remain fresh and exciting, and even those who have never read the book recognize the name Robinson Crusoe as a synonym for a desert-island castaway. This Evergreen edition offers young readers a chance to get swept away by one of literature's most memorable stories, a saga teeming with pirates and cannibals, tropical wildlife, and adventures in self-reliance. Crusoe himself narrates the tale of how he defied his parents' wishes, leaving his comfortable home in England and setting off to sea to make his fortune. After some initial struggles, he does indeed become a sailor and a prosperous merchant, but his good luck abandons him during a violent storm in the Caribbean. As the shipwreck's sole survivor, Crusoe salvages what he can and builds a habitat, cultivates a garden, and ekes out a solitary existence — until a footprint in the sand reveals that he's not alone.
