To mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of Robinson Crusoe,
this book looks at some of the stories which inspired Daniel Defoe -
stories of bravery, courage, determination and good fortune. It looks at
Defoe's life and the monumental success of his novel - sometimes
described as being the first in the English language. It also considers
some of the reasons why people found themselves cast away - as a result
of being wrecked, by being abandoned as a punishment, marooned by
pirates - or even out of deliberate choice. Major hurricanes in the 18th
Century causing huge damage to shipping and loss of life are also looked
at, along with catastrophes when ships were lost, not as a result of
battles, but because of human negligence, sheer stupidity and bad
luck.
The book looks at the astonishing tales of survival in the face of
adversity - down in the Falklands, in the Caribbean and off the coast of
Australia. It examines perhaps the most astonishing story of them all -
sixty slaves abandoned on a desolate treeless island in the Indian Ocean
and left there for fifteen years. Amazingly, some survived against all
odds. It looks at how being cast away brings out the best in some - and
in others the very worst, with stories of murder, rape and betrayal.
