ROBINSON CRUSOE

Author: None
Publisher: None
Publication Date: 2002-01-01
Features: FromSchoolLibraryJournalGrade7Up-Defoe'sclassicnovelofshipwreckandsurvival,nownearly300yearsold,isabridgedcompetentlyinthisrecording.Theflavorofthe18thcenturylanguageisretained,buttheplotmovesalongatapacemoreappealingto21stcenturyears.Thereader,MartinShaw,hasapleasantvoice,butunfortunatelytendstotrailoffattheendsofsentences,losingwholewords.Aswithallabridgements,largesectionsofthestoryandentirecharactersareomitted,butsincemostofthebooktellsofCrusoe'ssolitarysojournontheisland,thisisnotamajorproblem.Thisversionisnosubstitutefortheoriginal,butitwouldbeasupplementalpurchaseinlibrarieswhereabridgementsarepopular.SarahFlowers,SantaClaraCountyLibrary,MorganHill,CACopyright2000ReedBusinessInformation,Inc.--Thistextreferstoanoutofprintorunavailableeditionofthistitle.Review(infullTheLifeandStrangeSurprisingAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoe,ofYork,Mariner:WhoLivedEightandTwentyYears,AllAloneinanUn-inhabitedIslandontheCoastofAmerica,NeartheMouthoftheGreatRiverofOroonoque;HavingBeenCastonShorebyShipwreck,WhereinAlltheMenPerishedbutHimself.WithanAccounthowhewasatlastasStrangelyDeliver'dbyPyrates.WrittenbyHimself.)NovelbyDanielDefoe,publishedin1719.ThebookisauniquefictionalblendingofthetraditionsofPuritanspiritualautobiographywithaninsistentscrutinyofthenatureofmenandwomenassocialcreatures,anditrevealsanextraordinaryabilitytoinventasustainingmodernmyth.Thetitlecharacterleaveshiscomfortablemiddle-classhomeinEnglandtogotosea.Survivingshipwreck,helivesonanislandfor28years,aloneformostofthetimeuntilhesavesthelifeofasavage,whomhenamesFriday.ThetwomeneventuallyleavetheislandforEngland.DefoeprobablybasedpartofCrusoe'staleonthereal-lifeexperiencesofAlexanderSelkirk,aScottishsailorwhoathisownrequestwasputashoreonanuninhabitedislandin1704afteraquarrelwithhiscaptain.Hestayedthereuntil1709.ThebookwasanimmediatesuccessinEnglandandontheEuropeancontinent,andDefoewroteasequel(TheFartherAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoe)thatwasalsopublishedin1719.ManystageandfilmadaptationshavebeenmadeofRobinsonCrusoe'slife,andthebookhasspawnedmanyimitations,includingJohannWyss'sSwissFamilyRobinson.--TheMerriam-WebsterEncyclopediaofLiterature--Thistextreferstoanoutofprintorunavailableeditionofthistitle.Review"Anexemplarytext--scholarlyandcheapenoughtoaskstudentstobuy."--RobertWess,OregonStateUniversity--ThistextreferstothePaperbackedition.WithanIntroductionandNotesbyDoreenRoberts,RutherfordCollege,UniversityofKentatCanterburyFromitsfirstpublicationin1719,RobinsonCrusoehasbeenprintedinover700editions.Ithasinspiredalmosteveryconceivablekindofimitationandvariation,andbeenthesubjectofplays,opera,cartoons,andcomputergames.ThecharacterofCrusoehasenteredtheconsciousnessofeachsucceedinggenerationasreadersaddtheirowninterpretationtotheadventuressothrillingly'recorded'byDefoe.PraisedbyeminentfiguressuchasColeridge,RousseauandWordsworth,thisperenniallypopularbookwascitedbyKarlMarxinDasKapitaltoillustrateeconomictheory.Howeveritisreadersofallagesoverthelast280yearswhohavegivenRobinsonCrusoeitsabidingpositionasaclassictaleofadventure.