Vivid eighteenth century tales of sailors washed ashore from shipwrecks, buccaneers on the run, white slaves escaping from pirates, and mutineers fleeing tyrannical captains — these were the mix from which Defoe conjured his classic book 'The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe'.

But could any man have survived what Crusoe endured.

The explorer and writer Tim Severin was determined to find out.

Beginning on the coast of Chile, then traveling to Nicaragua, Pananama and the Caribbean islands of Venezuela, Severin travels to the sites of these amazing survival stories, camping on islands and visiting jungles to put to the test the adventures and survival strategies of Crusoe and his companion Man Friday.

In the process he debunks the widely-held belief that Alexander Selkirk, a castaway who piqued early eighteenth century popular interest, was Defoe’s model.

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

With his signature approach to literary sleuthing, Tim Severin goes ‘In Search of Robinson Crusoe’, as he retraces the footsteps of castaways and pirates to unearth the inspiration behind Daniel Defoe’s legendary creation.

“A fascinating read … Blending travel narrative, maritime history and a literary mystery.” — LOS ANGELES TIMES

“Its hard to say which is more interesting — the history he so capably writes or his own adventures in the odd, forlorn places his research takes him to. Either way, he knows how to blend his ingredients to generate the kind of heat a reader wants from a book.”
— NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE MAGAZINE

“The charm of Mr. Severin is that he, an accomplished sailor, a polished narrator, can transmit the air and the feel of the sun blasted islands, the strength of the trade winds, the taste of the salt to his island-hopping research and keep us guessing.”
— THE WASHINGTON TIMES

“Track[ing] the intrepid investigation by one of the best British travel writers, […] Tim Severin, who deserves to be better known in this country, is indefatigable researcher and observer with the sort of wry humor that makes Brit writers such enviable travelling companions on the page.”
— ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tim Severin is an explorer, film-maker and lecturer, who has made many expeditions, from crossing the Atlantic in a medieval leather boat to going out in search of Moby Dick and Robinson Crusoe. He has won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, the Book of the Sea Award, a Christopher Prize, and the literary medal of the Academie de la Marine. He books include ‘Crusader’, ‘The Sindbad Voyage’, ‘The Brendan Voyage’, ‘The Jason Voyage’ and ‘The Ulysses Voyage’.

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.