Crusoe's Island: A Rich and Curious History of Pirates, Castaways and Madness

by Andrew Lambert

Overview

From an acclaimed naval historian, Crusoe's Island charts the curious relationship between the British and an island on the other side of the world: Robinson Crusoe, in the South Pacific.

The tiny island assumed a remarkable position in British culture, most famously in Daniel Defoe's novel. Andrew Lambert reveals the truth behind the legend of this place, bringing to life the voices of the visiting sailors, scientists and artists, as well as the wonders, tragedy and violence that they encountered.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780571330256
Publisher:	Faber and Faber
Publication date:	09/13/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	350
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Andrew Lambert is Professor of Naval History at King's College, London. His books include Nelson: Britannia's God of War, Admirals: The Naval Commanders Who Made Britain Great and Franklin: Tragic Hero of Polar Exploration. His highly successful history of the British Navy, War at Sea, was broadcast on BBC Two.
Andrew Lambert is Laughton Professor of Naval History at King's College London. His books include Nelson: Britannia's God of War, Admirals: The Naval Commanders Who Made Britain Great, Franklin: Tragic Hero of Polar Navigation, The Challenge: Britain Against America in the Naval War of 1812, for which he was awarded the Anderson Medal, and The Crimean War: British Grand Strategy Against Russia 1853-1856. His highly successful history of the Royal Navy, War at Sea, was broadcast on BBC Two.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgements xiii

Introduction 1

1 Of Islands and Englishmen 8

2 Spanish Lakes and English Dreams 15

3 Pirates and Freebooters 26

4 'The Absolute Monarch of the Island' 37

5 The Magical Island of Daniel Defoe 50

6 Shelvocke's Sojourn 58

7 George Anson's Voyage 69

8 The Magical Island 78

9 Making Juan Fernández English 83

10 Making Books 90

11 Closing the Stable Door 99

12 Mastering the Pacific 107

13 Scurvy Resolved 114

14 Distant Despair 123

15 Whaling and the South Pacific 127

16 The End of an Era 140

17 Imaginary Voyages 154

18 An American South Pacific 166

19 A Literature of Defeat: Reconstructing the Loss of the USS Essex 170

20 Sea Stories 177

21 Poet of the Pacific 184

22 A British Base in the Pacific 195

23 The Admiral's Picnic 198

24 Occupation, Possession, Ownership and Title 206

25 Settlers 215

26 The Battle of Cumberland Bay 223

27 From the Challenger to the Admiralty Handbook 231

28 Making Robinson's Island 239

29 Islands, Nations and Continents 251

30 Another Tragedy 257

Notes 261

Bibliography 284

Index 294

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Not merely a rip-roaring account of castaways and desert islands ... This is a fascinating, argumentative book that discovers a world in a tiny island." - Ben Wilson, Sunday Telegraph

"[An] intriguing, wide-ranging book." - Sunday Times (UK)