Crusoe, Castaways and Shipwrecks in the Perilous Age of Sail

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. Machine Generated Contents Note: Pt. One The Book That Started It All... -- Ch. 1 Daniel Defoe -- Ch. 2 Robinson Crusoe -- Pt. Two Inspirations For Robinson Crusoe -- Ch. 3 Alexander Selkirk -- Ch. 4 Henry Pitman -- Ch. 5 Robert Knox -- Ch. 6 William Dampier -- Pt. Three Shipwrecked! By Way Of Background -- Ch. 7 The Great Storm Of 1703 -- Ch. 8 The Scillies Storm Of 1707 -- Ch. 9 The Loss Of Hms Victory In 1744 -- Ch. 10 The Hurricanes Of 1780 And 1782 -- Ch. 11 Human Error: Fire And Water -- Pt. Four Other Castaways -- Ch. 12 The Wreck Of The Batavia -- Ch. 13 Philip Ashton -- Ch. 14 Leendert Hasenbosch -- Ch. 15 The Forgotten Slaves Of Tromelin -- Ch. 16 Captain Bligh And Fletcher Christian -- Ch. 17 Charles Barnard -- Ch. 18 Conclusion. Mike Rendell. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. “Fascinating” stories of real-life people and events that inspired the author of the classic adventure novel Robinson Crusoe (Historical Novel Society). This book looks at some of the stories that inspired Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe—stories of bravery, determination, and good fortune, as well as human negligence, sheer stupidity, and bad luck. In addition to an overview of Defoe's life and his monumentally successful novel, it also considers some of the reasons why people found themselves cast away—as a result of being wrecked, abandoned as a punishment, or marooned by pirates, or even out of deliberate choice. Major hurricanes in the eighteenth century causing huge damage to shipping and loss of life are also covered, along with catastrophes when ships were lost, and astonishing tales of survival in the face of adversity—down in the Falklands, in the Caribbean, and off the coast of Australia. It looks at how being cast away brings out the best in some—and in others the very worst. And 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, some of whom survived against all odds. Cover Dedication Book Title Copyright Table of Content Preface Part One: The Book that Started it All... Chapter 1: Daniel Defoe Chapter 2: Robinson Crusoe Part Two: Inspirations for Robinson Crusoe Chapter 3: Alexander Selkirk Chapter 4: Henry Pitman Chapter 5: Robert Knox Chapter 6: William Dampier Part Three: Shipwrecked! By Way of Background Chapter 7: The Great Storm of 1703 Chapter 8: The Scillies Storm of 1707 Chapter 9: The Loss of HMS Victory in 1744 Chapter 10: The Hurricanes of 1780 and 1782 Plate Section Chapter 11: Human Error: Fire and Water Part Four: Other Castaways Chapter 12: The Wreck of the Batavia Chapter 13: Philip Ashton Chapter 14: Leendert Hasenbosch Chapter 15: The Forgotten Slaves of Tromelin Chapter 16: Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian Chapter 17: Charles Barnard Chapter 18: Conclusion Bibliography Image Accreditation Index