In Search of Robinson Crusoe

In Search of Robinson Crusoe
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Crusoe Found?

For the Armchair Explorer in Us All

Fascinating search

Highly recommended history blended with adventure and travel

In Search of Robinson Crusoe
Tim Serverin , and Tim Severin
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0465076998
Release Date: 2003-05-27

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Tim Severin's In Search of Robinson Crusoe is a fascinating melding of literary and bibliographic scholarship and wide-ranging travelogue that seeks out, and discovers, the flesh-and-blood prototypes for Daniel Defoe's famous castaway and his island home. Severin makes a convincing case that Alexander Selkirk, long assumed to be the model for Crusoe, was little more than Defoe's immediate inspiration. In fact, says Severin, Defoe based the setting and many episodes of his novel on gleanings from other contemporary accounts of maroonings (three, in particular). Severin's research takes him first to Selkirk's island, then to the coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras, where he visits the Miskitu Indians (on whose forebears Defoe likely based Crusoe's Man Friday) as well as to several thoroughly obscure Caribbean desert islets. The most intriguing sections of the book are recountings of the adventures of various abandoned seamen, including Pedro Serrano, a 16th-century mariner who maintained he had lived for seven years on a desolate cay devoid of fresh water. This is an audacious and thrilling book. --H. O'Billovich

Book Description

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.

Insightful travel writing, riveting narrative history, and clever scholarly discoveries make this a remarkably rich and varied book. Tim Severin has once again demonstrated a superb ability to bring together literature and adventure in an engrossing narrative.

Customer Reviews:

Crusoe Found?.......2006-09-14

This is not the first such voyage of literary detection upon which Tim Severin has embarked, though it is the first I have read.

What Severin presents you with is a narrative mix that alternates between his retellings of the primary sources, the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century published voyage-narratives that were Defoe's potential sources for his novel Robinsion Crusoe, and accounts of Severin's own "in the foot-steps" travels around the relevant locations.

In both these areas of narrative Severin's prose makes for an entertaining and compelling read. He is apposite and insightful without pretence. In his historical judgment, he occasionally seems intemperate and one-sided; his treatment Captain Shelvocke seems particularly severe. This is because, ultimately, he writes more like a journalist than an historian, but his portraits of historical characters certainly bring them to life for the reader.

In describing his contemporary travels, Severin's observations are equally acute, often poignant and occasionally hilarious. A particular treat is his account of Grand Cayman, a hugely amusing study of petty officialdom in a small, rich, self-important but essentially dysfunctional, offshore haven.

The book's conclusion is not earth-shattering or at all unexpected. Crusoe isn't Alexander Selkirk, though the latter's contemporary celebrity doubtless made him a significant influence upon Defoe. Crusoe is a fictional composite who owes a little something to a variety of historical seafarers. Severin also shows us the historical prototypes of Man Friday, a component entirely absent from Selkirk's story.

The nearest to "finding Crusoe" Severin gets is to identify the historical man to whom the fictional hero Crusoe is said to owe the most.

I won't spoil things by naming him, but I was fascinated to read about Severin's prime suspect. Although Severin never makes this connection in his book, it is blindingly obvious that his candidate for Crusoe was, in fact, also the source for Rafael Sabatini's great swashbuckling hero, Peter Blood.

None of this matters because, with Severin's excellent narrative, the pleasure is in the journey rather than the final destination.

I will tell you, however, what Tim Severin does not: Robinson Crusoe and Captain Blood are one and the same!

For the Armchair Explorer in Us All.......2006-04-10

Tim Severin's books have never failed to engross me and this one is no exception. In it, he looks at the story of Robinson Crusoe and examines what is known about the origins of the story and then goes to explore for himself. The result is a rewarding voyage of exploration without leaving the comfort of the air conditioning.

It is widely accepted that the story of Crusoe is based upon the real life adventure of Alexander Selkirk on Juan Fernandez Island. Severin tracks down what is known about this flash in the historical pan and then explores his island and his relationships to other people who enter his story. Selkirk's adventure took place in the Pacific but Crusoe takes place in the Caribbean. Selkirk also had no man Friday to accompany him. So it is that the areas in the Carib which might have influenced Crusoe are also examined. So too are the people with whom Daniel Defoe may have been in contact.

Severin puts forth the hypothesis that the story of Selkirk may have been the inspiration for Crusoe but that the actual tale of the novel is based upon several other real life exploits of other people.

Reading this book will not solve the world's great problems nor will it add to your bottom line. It will simply broaden a few horizons and provide for some pleasurable musings.

Fascinating search.......2005-04-11

Tim Severin is a master of his craft. For any one who has not read his other books this is a good place to start. His enthusiasm for his task, in this case finding on what, or whom, Defoe mostly likely based his book 'Robinson Crusoe' has once again resulted in a well written and readable book.

Severin's research and resulting drawing together of threads makes for a different sort of book. Rather than a mere recounting of his own voyages he seeks out the connections between people, places and history that makes the past vastly more interesting. His own particular concerns are worth following as they inevitably lead the reader to places that one may never have thought of as being connected. Severin is a skilled story teller/social historian whose books are suitable for all ages and should appeal to a wide range of interests.

Highly recommended history blended with adventure and travel.......2002-12-06

Daniel Defoe based his famous Robin Crusoe castaway character on the real-life seafaring adventurers of men who were his contemporaries - and who did survive for years on isolated islands after shipwrecks. Tim Severin camped out on islands castaways once survived on, and searched South America for the tribes which were a model for Crusoe's companion Man Friday. In Search Of Robinson Crusoe is highly recommended history blended with adventure and travel in a revealing and thoroughly engaging.

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In Search of Robinson Crusoe
Daisuke Takahashi
Manufacturer: Cooper Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This book seeks to discover the actual man and the true adventures behind the life of Alexander Selkirk, the real-life Robinson Crusoe.

Venture: The Traveler's World October 1964 Volume 1 Number 3

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Venture: The Traveler's World October 1964 Volume 1 Number 3
Gardner Cowles
Manufacturer: Cowles Magazines and Broadcasting Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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INCLUDES: HONG KONG, IN SEARCH OF ROBINSON CRUSOE, SANTA FE

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In 1767, two "princes" of a ruling family in the port of Old Calabar, on the slave coast of Africa, were ambushed and captured by English slavers. The princes, Little Ephraim Robin John and Ancona Robin Robin John, were themselves slave traders who were betrayed by African competitors--and so began their own extraordinary odyssey of enslavement. Their story, written in their own hand, survives as a rare firsthand account of the Atlantic slave experience.

Randy Sparks made the remarkable discovery of the princes' correspondence and has managed to reconstruct their adventures from it. They were transported from the coast of Africa to Dominica, where they were sold to a French physician. By employing their considerable language and interpersonal skills, they cleverly negotiated several escapes that took them from the Caribbean to Virginia, and to England, but always ended in their being enslaved again. Finally, in England, they sued for, and remarkably won, their freedom. Eventually, they found their way back to Old Calabar and, evidence suggests, resumed their business of slave trading.

The Two Princes of Calabar offers a rare glimpse into the eighteenth-century Atlantic World and slave trade from an African perspective. It brings us into the trading communities along the coast of Africa and follows the regular movement of goods, people, and ideas across and around the Atlantic. It is an extraordinary tale of slaves' relentless quest for freedom and their important role in the creation of the modern Atlantic World.

The Two Princes of Calabar: An Eighteenth-Century Atlantic Odyssey.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Southern History

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The Two Princes of Calabar: An Eighteenth-Century Atlantic Odyssey.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Southern History
Anthony S., Jr. Parent
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000NO3B7W
Release Date: 2007-02-21

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Thomson Gale on February 1, 2007. The length of the article is 773 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Two Princes of Calabar: An Eighteenth-Century Atlantic Odyssey.(Book review)
Author: Anthony S., Jr. Parent
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 73 Issue: 1 Page: 151(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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As the field of communications networks continues to evolve, the challenging area of wireless sensor networks is rapidly coming of age. Recent advances have made it possible to make sensor components more compact, robust, and energy efficient than ever, earning the idiosyncratic alias of "Smart Dust." Production has also improved, yielding larger, more cost-efficient quantities for specialized telecommunications applications. However, network designers and planners for emerging telecommunication networks face specific challenges in finding the best way to integrate new network-specific circuits with existing network systems. The Handbook of Sensor Networks: Compact Wireless and Wired Sensing Systems captures the current state of sensor networks and deals with particular technical challenges such as software protocols, data processing, security, and limited power sources for remote sensors. Other topics include architecture, artificial perception, location management, dynamic power management, data funneling, and applications such as tracking, biological data acquisition, industrial sensor networking, security measures, and energy-saving techniques. A selection of highly respected professionals and researchers from leading institutions worldwide contribute their expertise to assemble a referential set of 40 brand new, in-depth articles that cover various aspects of sensor networks, from basic concepts to research-grade material, including future directions. Features · Provides a single source of comprehensive reference material on wireless sensor networks, an emerging area with scarce literature published to date · Defines "smart dust" and its capabilities · Presents timely, well-organized, and comprehensive information on a broad range of sub-topics, authored by experts in the field · Includes numerous references and a look at future applications and research directions

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50 hikes in the Selkirk and west Purcell ranges of southeast British Columbia, near Nelson and Kaslo. Includes Valhalla, Kokanee Glacier, and Goat Range parks, as well as hikes near Arrow, Slocan, and Kootenay lakes. Full-colour images throughout. Trail locator maps.

Gustafsen Lake: Under siege : exposing the truth behind the Gustafsen Lake stand-off

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Gustafsen Lake: Under Siege

Gustafsen Lake: Under siege : exposing the truth behind the Gustafsen Lake stand-off
Janice G. A. E Switlo
Manufacturer: TIAC Communications Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Gustafsen Lake: Under Siege.......2000-04-27

Excellent read. It is packed with information and detail about complex native issues. Not a light read, although very thought provoking and inspiring. Geared towards an academic and historical perpective it is not casual bedtime reading, but then again I don't tend to read fluff.

Hiking the West Coast Trail: A Pocket Guide

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Hiking the West Coast Trail: A Pocket Guide
Tim Leadem
Manufacturer: Greystone Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

The West Coast Trail, which traverses 50 miles of gorgeous Northwest Canadian coastline, has been dubbed the “Graveyard of the Pacific,” having claimed 60 ships since 1854. Tim Leadem, who’s hiked it many times, shows readers how to make the most of this demanding trail. The book contains two-color maps covering trailhead to terminus; checklists for food, clothing, and gear; easy reference charts for navigating tricky tidal areas; and a brief text describing the historical, cultural, and geological highlights along the way.

Sternwheelers and Canyon Cats: Whitewater Freighting on the Upper Fraser

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A welcome addition to nautical history and Canadian history shelves.

Sternwheelers and Canyon Cats: Whitewater Freighting on the Upper Fraser
Jack Boudreau
Manufacturer: Caitlin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Forbidding canyons, raging rapids and menacing rocks--this was the daily challenge that faced whitewater men who worked the wild rivers and creeks to bring freight and supplies to northern BC in the years before the Grand Trunk Railway. In particular, the Grand Canyon of British Columbia's Fraser River was infamous for swallowing at least 200 luckless occupants of rafts and small craft between the years 1862-1921. Sternwheelers and Canyon Cats: Whitewater Freighting on the Upper Fraser is the story of the "Canyon Cats" who made their living running the Grand Canyon and other equally dangerous waterways; men such as George Williams, affectionately known to his peers as "The Wizard of the River," and Frank Freeman, a powder expert who tamed the wildest water by blowing out many of the worst boulders and logjams thereby allowing safer passage for the scows, sternwheelers, rafts and boats that travelled the murky river.

A total of twelve steamers worked the upper Fraser River during the period 1862-1921 and the dangers faced by these vessels and their steel-nerved captains are legend. It was a perilous existence hauling supplies to the isolated construction camps of the GTP Railroad and in retrospect it seems ironic that these steamers were made obsolete by this same railway upon its completion. Sternwheelers and Canyon Cats: Whitewater Freighting on the Upper Fraser is a chronicle of the men whose feats almost defy belief and whose contribution to BC history has gone long unrecognized.

Customer Reviews:

A welcome addition to nautical history and Canadian history shelves........2007-03-06

Written by British Columbia native Jack Boudreau, Sternwheelers & Canyon Cats: Whitewater Freighting on the Upper Fraser presents the fascinating true story of the whitewater men who crewed boats along wild rivers and creeks, seeking to bring freight and supplies to northern British Columbia from 1862 to 1921, prior to the completion of the Grand Trunk Railway. The riverboat life was dangerous; taming rough waters might involve such daring tactics as using powder to blow out boulders and logjams, and the Grand Canyon of British Columbia's Fraser River in particular was responsible for the deaths of at least two hundred individuals. Extensively researched, and presented with a smattering of black-and-white photographs, Sternwheelers & Canyon Cats is a welcome addition to nautical history and Canadian history shelves.

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Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout
Tomson Highway
Manufacturer: Talonbooks
ProductGroup: Book
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Based on a deposition signed by 14 Chiefs of the Thompson River basin on the occasion of a visit to their lands by Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier in 1910, Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout is a ritualized retelling of how the Native Peoples of British Columbia lost their fishing, hunting and grazing rights, their lands, and finally their language without their agreement or consent, and without any treaties ever having been signed. It is one of the most compellingly tragic cases of cultural genocide to emerge from the history of colonialism, enacted by four women whose stories follow each other like the cyclical seasons they represent.

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The first complete history of logging in BC's interior documents the characters, companies and innovations that have helped make BC a world leader in the forest products industry. This large-format book includes more than 200 historical photographs and scores of oral histories from the loggers, millworkers and policy-makers who made the industry what it is.

High Seas, High Risk: The Story of the Sudburys

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True life adventure at its best
Sudbury, a famous name in marine salvage

High Seas, High Risk: The Story of the Sudburys
Pat Wastell Norris
Manufacturer: Harbour Publishing
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Binding: Paperback

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Island Tug & Barge, once the largest employer in Victoria, BC, was a Pacific Ocean marine salvage company world famous for deep-sea rescues and long distance towing feats - and infamous for superior crews and a feisty little fleet, including the renowned Sudbury and Sudbury II. Most famous, however, was the unstopable, fiery owner, Harold Elworthy - "H.B." for "Hard-boiled" - a boy who started with nothing and became a maritime giant. Together these ships and men proved themselves as some of the best marine salvors in the world. High Seas, High Risk recounts the Sudburys' most notable and dramatic tows and rescues, told mostly through the memories and anecdotes of former crew members.

Island Tug & Barge made headlines around the seafaring world. The Sudburys made almost impossible rescues with ease - towing their charges through typhoons, pulling them off pinnacles of rock, fighting their fires and keeping them afloat with batteries of pumps. Beset by storms, lightning, and impossible conditions, the two tugs always made it home safely. Year after year the drama was repeated, until, one day, the headlines stopped. The Sudbury and the Sudbury II disappeared, Island Tug & Barge was gone.

Writing with the care and detail of a historian, and the passion of a maritime adventurer, Pat Wastell Norris has parlayed her childhood seafaring passion into every story and anecdote - an interest instilled by her father who carried her about his 60-foot tugboat before she could walk. This never-before told history of Island Tug & Barge is a must-read for mariners and yachtsmen of every ilk--the armchair adventurers, professionals and everyone in between.

Customer Reviews:

True life adventure at its best.......2005-10-07

In December 1955 the stormy rescue of a disabled freighter by the Victoria, BC salvage tug Sudbury made headlines around the world: a feat which was to repeat year after year as the Sudbury and Sudbury II made dramatic rescues through typhoons and shipwrecks alike. High Seas, High Risk is the saga of the two salvage tugs which became famous for risky deep-sea rescues and long-distance towing; in the processing telling of an owner who began with nothing and turned two little tugs into a challenging, successful business. True life adventure at its best.

Sudbury, a famous name in marine salvage.......2000-01-09

This book tells the story of the Island Tug & Barge Co's two big salvage tugs, both named "Sudbury". Island Tug & Barge is now history. Its greatest years were the fifties and sixties. The big tugs were initially acquired for the towage of ships to the scrapyards, which was a thriving business in those years. The entered also in deepsea salvage work where both tugs earned their fame. The book tells about the tugs and, of wrecks, of ferocious storms, of tugs riding out typhoon weather the tow still attached. And of the crewmembers of course. The book is a very good read, also to the non-initiated in the business of deep sea salvage. It also has a number of photographs accompanying the text. It is good that this piece of marine history has been published.

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Wild Rivers, Wild Lands: 1995
Ken Madsen
Manufacturer: Lost Moose Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1896758010

Book Description

Adventurer Ken Madsen makes the case for preserving northern wilderness through heart-stopping stories and dramatic colour photos of wild rivers of the Yukon, British Columbia and Alaska. The book profiles three watersheds (Alsek-Tatshenshini, Peel and Stikine) where it is still possible to protect the natural ecosystems needed by wildlife whose range in North America is shrinking rapidly. A portion of the royalties from Wild Rivers, Wild Lands will go to the Yukon Wildlands Project.

Emily Carr and Her Dogs: Flirt, Punk, and Loo

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"Short, Sweet, and Hard to Beat"

Emily Carr and Her Dogs: Flirt, Punk, and Loo
Emily Carr
Manufacturer: Douglas & McIntyre
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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This delightful book combines 25 stories about dogs with 16 playful drawings by famous Canadian writer, artist, and animal lover Emily Carr. She tells of her joys and tribulations raising Old English sheepdogs, from her decision to start a kennel to the sad day when she had to close it. With each story Carr brings the affectionate and loyal nature of her canine companions to life, making this book an ideal choice for any dog lover, child, or adult.

Customer Reviews:

"Short, Sweet, and Hard to Beat".......2007-01-03

At 96 pages, this book charms without trying to be charming. The prose is beautiful, without unnecessary adornment, caring without being sentimental, and wise in its observations about life without preaching. I am always looking out for a 'sleeper'--a book relatively undiscovered and special-- that I can give my best friends, aged aunties, young moms, children, that is not trite or trendy or filled with the obvious. The sketches by the author reveal both depth of feeling and simplicity.

This was my introduction to Emily Carr, and a week later I'm half-way through her autobiography (Growing Pains) and looking up her paintings on the Internet.
Enjoy!!

Wings Across the Water: Victoria's Flying Heritage 1871-1971

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Wings Across the Water: Victoria's Flying Heritage 1871-1971
Elwood White , and Smith Peter L
Manufacturer: Harbour Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Wings Across the Water: Victoria's Flying Heritage 1871-1971 is illustrated with a vengeance: it contains over 600 mesmerizing aviation photographs, most never before published. Beginning with a procession of "hot-air professors" performing the Island's first manned balloon ascents in the 1800s, the book documents everything from the coming of the first spindly flying machines and early barn-storming hijinks to the frantic preparations for two wars, bush-flying follies and the arrival of the jet age.

Wings Across the Water is one of those rare books that results when an exceptional authority joins forces with an able writer. Victoria-born and raised Elwood White, 87, himself a pioneer aviator who earned his pilot's licence in 1938, is recognized as the pre-eminent authority on Island aviation. Over the decades, few planes landed in the Victoria area without coming to Elwood's attention, and an astonishing number were recorded by his own camera. Written with an emphasis on accuracy and precision, Wings Across the Water is a must-have for aviation buffs everywhere.

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