Remarkable historical account of alexander Selkirk, the prototype for Defoe's Robinson Crusoe - the true story of how he survived being marooned for 52 months, is an impressive work and an astonishing true story. The author places the facts in the contest of the age - 300 years ago, making the very best of the necessarily sparse source material, to weave a believable and highly enjoyable story line. Selkirk was a flawed character for sure, prone to violence, but he displayed an outstanding survival instinct in the face of a daunting challenge - managing to thrive in the wild rather than succumbing to the pressures and stress of his situation. ( )

Interesting and quick read. ( )

As others have noticed, she seems to be somewhat fixated on how many goats he had sex with. Got pretty dull once he got home. Story itself was fascinating, but, to me, writing got more dull once he was saved. ( )

Interesting, yet depressing. I definitely should have finished Robinson Crusoe first (inter-library loan sure on Selkirk) because once I read the historical basis the fictional tale was no longer just a lark. Well-written, if spare. ( )

This was very interesting, and fairly amusing in parts. Alexander Selkirk was marooned off the coast of Chile in 1704 and spent nearly four and a half years alone on an uninhabited island. This book tells his life story and also includes details of his contemporaries in the world of privateering. Obviously, there is a limit to how much can be written about a man marooned in isolation, so this period of Selkirk's life is covered in probably less than a third of the book. Although the novel Robinson Crusoe is based on what happened to Selkirk, they share little in common apart from being alone in the middle of the ocean.

The vast majority of the book tells of the disasterous voyages made by groups of men in the early 18th century, sailing the southern seas, searching for Spanish merchant ships to plunder. Mutiny, drunkeness and scurvy are recurring themes and I found it to be a very readable, well referenced historic account. ( )