Robinson Crusoe

I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull. He got a good estate by merchandise, and leaving off his trade, lived afterwards at York, from whence he had married my mother, whose relations were named Robinson, a very good family in that country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but, by the usual corruption of words in England, we are now called nay we call ourselves and write our name Crusoe; and so my companions always called me.

HarperCollins is proud to present a range of best-loved, essential classics. 'It happen'd one Day about Noon going towards my Boat, I was exceedingly surpriz'd with the Print of a Man's naked Foot on the Shore.' Shipwrecked in a storm at sea, Robinson Crusoe is washed up on a remote and desolate island. As he struggles to piece together a life for himself, Crusoe's physical, moral and spiritual values are tested to the limit. For 24 years he remains in solitude and learns to tame and master the island, until he finally comes across another human being. Considered a classic literary masterpiece, and frequently interpreted as a comment on the British Imperialist approach at the time, Defoe's fable was and still is revered as the very first English novel.

The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe endures twenty-seven years of solitude and deprivation on a remote Caribbean island, his only companion an escaped prisoner who he names "Friday." Together, Crusoe and Friday encounter cannibals, captives and mutineers, before being rescued by pirates and returning home.

If ever the story of any private man's adventures in the world were worth making public, and were acceptable when published, the Editor of this account thinks this will be so. The wonders of this man's life exceed all that (he thinks) is to be found extant; the life of one man being scarce capable of a greater variety. The story is told with modesty, with seriousness, and with a religious application of events to the uses to which wise men always apply them, viz. to the instruction of others by this example, and to justify and honour the wisdom of Providence in all the variety of our circumstances, let them happen how they will.

The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe endures twenty-seven years of solitude and deprivation on a remote Caribbean island, his only companion an escaped prisoner who he names "Friday." Together, Crusoe and Friday encounter cannibals, captives and mutineers, before being rescued by pirates and returning home. Written by Daniel Defoe in 1719, The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is thought to be inspired by the true story of Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, who was rescued after being stranded on a deserted island for four years. Robinson Crusoe is often credited as marking the beginning of the realistic fiction genre, and has become one of the most widely published books in history. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe was first, published on April 25, 1719, during the age of exploration and enlightenment. The world was actively, explored, mapped, settled, and reported, back to various European ports and capitals. Readers in the 1700's considered long distance travel perhaps in the same way we regard space travel today, an exotic privileged accessible to a few well trained professions. The average reader of the period barely travelled a more than a few miles from their homes. Stories of faraway places, exotic cultures and fanciful creatures were all the rage at that time. Defoe however did not rely on these motifs in order to craft an engaging story that has persisted beyond it's 18th-century companions.

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate "reader friendly" type sizes have been chosen for each title-offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords. This edition of Robinson Crusoe includes a Foreword, Biographical Note, and Afterword by R. L. Fisher. Caught in the howling turmoil of hurricane and tidal wave, a young gentleman merchant named Robinson Crusoe was flung onto the shore of a deserted tropical island. His ship-destroyed. His crew-dead. His location-unknown. The only human across the ocean-were savage cannibal tribes. Crusoe was without food, without shelter, without supplies-and had never trained to live apart from the luxuries of civilization. But somehow, using only wreckage and his wit, Robison Crusoe would have to learn to survive. Without help. Without hope of rescue. Alone. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Years after being rescued from the deserted island, Robinson Crusoe's life is much different from the one he knew during his solitary years as a cast away-he has a loving wife, small children, and a successful career as a plantation owner. But, with echoes of his old adventures sounding in his head, Crusoe feels drawn back to his island, and when his nephew offers to take him on board his trading vessel, Crusoe cannot refuse the opportunity to return to the seas. Unknown to him, even greater adventures lie ahead on this fateful voyage, as Crusoe voyages to exotic locales in Africa, Southeast Asia, China, and Siberia. The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is the second novel written by Daniel Defoe featuring the now well-known character. The book followed the great success of The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, which has become one of the most widely-published books in history. This second installment is written in much the same fashion as the first-in didactic or epistolary narrative style from Crusoe's first-person perspective.

Having returned safely home, Crusoe marries and starts a family. But despite his prosperous life, he finds nothing to challenge him and suffers from a burning desire to return to sea. Although his wife begs him not to go, Crusoe and his man Friday set sail. When they reach the island, they are surprised to find that things have changed dramatically. When Crusoe and Friday set out for the mainland, they are attacked by vicious cannibals and Friday is killed. Overwhelmed with grief for the loss of his faithful servant and friend, Crusoe embarks on a long voyage around the world. His travels take him to far-flung places from Brazil and Madagascar to Siberia and China. As he continues to journey, it becomes clear that he is happiest when wandering, and we begin to wonder if he will ever return home again.

A sequel to Daniel Defoe's legendary Robinson Crusoe story of his adventures and survival on a remote tropical island. In this volume we follow Crusoe's return to his island, his voyages to Brazil, Southeast Asia, China, Madagascar, Siberia, and his adventures with the local tribes.

Daniel Defoe's fantastic sequel to his popular novel Robinson Crusoe is less well known today. Follow Crusoe as he returns to the island he was cast away upon, as well as voyaging to Madagascar, Southeast Asia and China, and even Siberia.

When Robinson Crusoe's ship is destroyed, the English sailor finds himself marooned on a desert island for nearly thirty years. This classic adventure story chronicles one man's will to survive despite the odds.

"And I add this part here, to hint to whoever shall read it, that whenever they come to a true Sense of things, they will find Deliverance from Sin a much greater Blessing than Deliverance from Affliction." Robinson Crusoe is stranded on an island after his ship is destroyed. Over the course of twenty-four years, he lives in isolation and develops the necessary skills for survival.

The timeless tale of survival and adventure that set the standard for the English novel Robinson Crusoe is the only man still alive when his ship is destroyed in a terrible storm. Washing up on a deserted island, he realizes that he is stranded, with no immediate hope of rescue. Displaying remarkable ingenuity, Crusoe builds a crude home, raises crops, and keeps track of the passing days with a rudimentary calendar. Loneliness is his greatest adversary until a tribe of cannibals arrives with their intended victims. When one of the prisoners escapes, Crusoe rescues him. The shipwrecked sailor and his newfound companion, Friday - named for the day of the week on which Crusoe first meets him - band together to vanquish the cannibals and leave the Island of Despair forever. Based on the true accounts of eighteenth-century castaways, Robinson Crusoe popularized the then-new art form known as the novel. Nearly three hundred years after it was first published, it is still the rare classic with the power to thrill and edify in equal measure.