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Crusoe, Castaways and Shipwrecks in the Perilous Age of Sail (Hardback)

Maritime P&S History > By Century > 18th Century P&S History > Explorers & Adventurers

By Mike Rendell
Imprint: Pen & Sword History
Pages: 151
Illustrations: 50
ISBN: 9781526747471
Published: 9th April 2019

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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.

This book contains true stories which inspired Daniel Defoe; tales of bravery, courage, determination and good fortune, along with some of the reasons why people found themselves cast away. These included being wrecked, abandoned as a punishment, marooned by pirates – or even out of deliberate choice. Rendell recounts amazing tales of survival in the face of adversity – in the Falklands, the Caribbean and off the coast of Australia. Perhaps the most astonishing story of them all is that of sixty slaves abandoned on a desolate treeless island in the Indian Ocean and left there for fifteen years; some survived against all odds. Being cast away brings out the best in some – and in others the very worst.

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Julian Stockwin

The book is an easy read and brings to light castaway experiences that few are likely to have heard about.

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Naval Historical Foundation

I found his book to be something a little bit different and a thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable read I’m now very happy to recommend.

Warship World, November/December 2019 - reviewed by Alex Manning

As featured by

Ripperologist, October 2019

As featured by

Family Tree, November 2019

This is a beautifully presented book, the cover immediately getting you into the frame of mind for the era that it describes. I had it recommended to me after reading Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe”, which is, as the title suggests, the jumping off point for this guide to the real Crusoe (and Defoe), other castaways of the era, and victims of shipwrecks, some famous, some infamous, some little known but worth knowing about.

It’s a very readable guide for the casual reader, as well as for serious historians, with a high level of detail about the various journeys. The author’s style is personal and personable, authoritative without ever being stuffy.

Having read it, I realise that Crusoe was not untypical of this dangerous age, and reading about the hazards of the journeys even when plain sailing (the nutrition, the piracy, the mutinies) made me wonder that anyone arrived at their destination intact at all.

This would be a good gift for anyone interested in Robinson Crusoe and Defoe in particular, or in historical sea voyages in general.

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Debbie Young's Writing Life

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Rambles.NET

Rambles

Book mentioned on the 'Book Club Show' by Debbie Young, click here to listen

NOTE: set cursor to 53:00

BBC Radio Gloucestershire, 20th August 2019

Robinson Crusoe is fictional, so Crusoe, Castaways and Shipwrecks begins as a study in English Literature, discussing the author, Daniel Defoe, and his book and then charting the castaway genre to which it gave rise in print, radio, TV and pantomime. Rendell then goes on to consider some of the real life castaways whose stories may have inspired the novel (not only Alexander Selkirk) and finally summarises other famous castaway epics over the next 200 years, notably the open boat voyage of Captain Bligh across the South Pacific after the mutiny.

As Robinson Crusoe proved, you cannot lose with a castaway story. They are all fascinating.

Historical Novels Review

This entertaining book comes with eight pages of colored pictures, a detailed bibliography, and an index. If you’re at all familiar with Robinson Crusoe, this book will interest you by explaining how the fictional Crusoe was created and some of the real-life incidents that appeared in Defoe’s novel. Anyone with an interest in seafaring or the calamities of shipwrecks is sure to enjoy reading this great new book.

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Pirates and Privateers, Cindy Vallar

This new book takes a 300th Anniversary of publication look at the book, the author, the wider subject. – Very Highly Recommended

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Firetrench

It is not a huge book but is nicely presented with decent quality paper (a pet peeve of mine on some prints) so it makes a pleasant light read and the author shows considerable mastery of his obvious interests. I found it both fascinating and readable any would recommend it to anyone with an interest in some of the more common disasters that could affect seafarers in those far off times.

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Model Ship World
 Mike Rendell

About Mike Rendell

Mike Rendell has written thirteen books, all of them about Georgian England. His interest in the period was inspired by a fascinating cache of papers left by his 18th century ancestors. His other books with Pen & Sword include: In Bed with the GeorgiansTrailblazing Women of the Georgian EraPirates & Privateers in the 18th CenturyCrusoe, Castaways and Shipwrecks in the Perilous Age of SailSex and Sexuality in Georgian Britain, and most recently Georgian Harlots and Whores.
When not writing, he spends his time talking on Georgian topics both in Britain and abroad, and in particular on board cruise ships. He travels extensively but his home is in Dorset.

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Britain and the Ocean Road uses new firsthand research and unconventional interpretations to take a fresh look at British maritime history in the age of sail. The human stories of eight shipwrecks serve as waypoints on the voyage, as the book explores how and why Britain became a global sea power. Each chapter has people at its heart – sailors, seafaring families, passengers, merchants, pirates, explorers, and many others. The narrative encompasses an extraordinary range of people, ships and events, such as a bloody maritime civil war in the 13th century, a 17th-century American teenager who…

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