Robinson Crusoe

By Daniel Defoe

Part of the Penguin Classics series

A shipwreck survivor battles isolation and danger on a deserted island.

3.7/5 Goodreads · 337,220 ratings

286 pages· 121,526 words· Est. 11.5 hour read

$10.00Save 7%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Shipwrecked and alone, Robinson Crusoe must survive on a deserted island. As he battles isolation, builds shelter, and encounters cannibals, he transforms from a terrified castaway to the island's master. With the help of a native he names Friday, Crusoe's journey raises questions of survival, companionship, and the essence of humanity. Will he conquer the island's challenges or succumb to its perils?

From the publisher

The original tale of a castaway struggling to survive on a remote desert island, and one of the first novels in English The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is washed up on a desert island. In his journal he chronicles his daily battle to stay alive, as he conquers isolation, fashions shelter and clothes, enlists the help of a native islander who he names ‘Friday’, and fights off cannibals and mutineers. Written in an age of exploration and enterprise, it has been variously interpreted as an embodiment of British imperialist values, as a portrayal of ‘natural man’, or as a moral fable. But above all is a brilliant narrative, depicting Crusoe’s transformation from terrified survivor to self-sufficient master of an island. This edition contains a full chronology of Defoe’s life and times, explanatory notes, glossary and a critical introduction discussing Robinson Crusoe as a pioneering work of modern psychological realism. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

At a glance