In Search of Robinson Crusoe - by Tim Severin (Paperback)

About the Book

With his signature approach to literary sleuthing, Tim Severin retraces the footsteps of castaways and pirates to discover the inspiration behind Daniel Defoe's brilliant creation, Robinson Crusoe.

Book Synopsis

For nearly three centuries, Robinson Crusoe has been the archetypal castaway, the symbol of survival in uninhabited wilds. In this book, Tim Severin adds this enterprising hero to the roster of legendary figures whose adventures he's replicated and whose origins he's explored. With the signature approach to literary and historical sleuthing that has led the New York Times to describe him as "original, audacious, and exuberant," Severin uncovers the seaman's world that captured Daniel Defoe's imagination, recounting dramatic survival stories of sailors, pirates, castaways, and native Americans and replicating their journeys to experience for himself the adventures that inspired Robinson Crusoe. He camps on islands that famous castaways once survived on, undertakes a perilous sea voyage, and searches Nicaragua and Honduras for the Miskutu Indians, the tribe that the model for Crusoe's companion, Friday, belonged to. Tim Severin has once again demonstrated a superb ability to bring together literature, history and adventure in an engrossing narrative.

Review Quotes

"Blending travel narrative, maritime history, and a literary mystery, [Severin] pores over the exploits of eighteenth-century pirates, deftly pieces together clues...and has a few adventures of his own. A fascinating read."

"It's hard to say which is more interesting--the history Severin so capably writes or his own adventures in the odd, forlorn places his research takes him to. He knows how to blend his ingredients to generate the kind of heat a reader wants from a book."

About the Author

Acclaimed adventure writer and explorer Tim Severin has made a career of retracing the journeys of literary or historical figures in replica vessels. These experiences have been turned into a body of captivating and illuminating books, including The Brendan Voyage, In Search of Genghis Kahn, and In Search of Moby Dick. Severin has received numerous awards for exploration and geographic history, including the Founder's Medal of England's Geographic Society. When not traveling, he lives in County Cork, Ireland.