FROM OUR EDITORS

Based on a real-life incident, Robinson Crusoe tells the story of a young man who yearns to escape the mundane world and set sail for a life of adventure in faraway places. Defying his father's wishes he leaves on board a ship, then finds himself marooned on a tropical island where he wrestles with his fate and ponders the nature of God and man. The world has gotten smaller since Defoe penned his novel, but the human imagination still looms large. So even in today's world of space exploration, this story of an ordinary man struggling to survive has not lost its appeal for modern readers.

ANNOTATION

During one of his several adventurous voyages in the 1600s, an Englishman becomes the sole survivor of a shipwreck and lives for nearly thirty years on a deserted island.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For more than 270 years, readers everywhere have been fascinated by the young fool who ran away from wealth, security, and family for a rough life at sea -- and came to his senses too late, alone on a tropical island. Alone except for cannibals, that is, and God. Robinson Crusoe's adventure takes place on a remote island. Adjusting to the primitive conditions, he learns to make tools, shelters, bread, and clothes. More importantly, he becomes a Christian.

SYNOPSIS

A shipwrecked survivor is washed up on a deserted island, where he lives alone until he rescues a savage. Naming the man Friday, the two continue their lonely existence until they leave for England. Crusoe's tale spans 28 years and is probably based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk, who lived on a deserted island for five years.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Newly abridged by Timothy Meis, James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans comes to life under the paintbrush of N.C. Wyeth, with illustrations originally published in 1919. The artist offers readers a close-up view of the French and Indian War, in paintings such as British colonel Duncan's struggle against a Huron warrior or the Mohican Chingachgook similarly fighting off another Huron warrior in the clearing of a wood. Wyeth's paintings also accompany Meis's adaptation of Daniel DeFoe's Robinson Crusoe, due out in February.

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

As they have done with other stories in the "Eyewitness Classics" series, DK has retold the tale using the original words of the author but in an abridged form. Then, the editorial team has added information to put the story in context. Background about the era, ships, a sailor's life and the danger of pirates provide lots of easily absorbed information, especially since the text and the factual insets are illustrated with photographs, paintings, drawings, maps and artifacts. The story of Crusoe's survival on an island all alone for twenty-three years is amazing. Then comes his rescue of Friday and their subsequent years of amiable companionship. With Friday's help he defeats cannibals, rescues a captain whose crew had mutinied and returns to civilization. Kids who haven't read this story will be caught up in the suspense, intrigued by Crusoe's ingenuity and pleased at the ending.

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Defoe's classic novel of shipwreck and survival, now nearly 300 years old, is abridged competently in this recording. The flavor of the 18th century language is retained, but the plot moves along at a pace more appealing to 21st century ears. The reader, Martin Shaw, has a pleasant voice, but unfortunately tends to trail off at the ends of sentences, losing whole words. As with all abridgements, large sections of the story and entire characters are omitted, but since most of the book tells of Crusoe's solitary sojourn on the island, this is not a major problem. This version is no substitute for the original, but it would be a supplemental purchase in libraries where abridgements are popular.-Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, Morgan Hill, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

Say you were spending the evening at your exclusive club on London's Pall Mall, where a slightly stuffy middle-aged gentleman begins regaling you with stories of his youthful adventures marooned on an uninhabited island. His language is studied—obviously he has told this tale before—his voice manly, manner stoic and slightly ironic. You find yourself hanging on his every word. That is the sort of impression that Martin Shaw makes with his Apollonian treatment of this excellent abridgment. This reviewer has not encountered the stiff-upper-lip Crusoe in his many other screen, stage, and audio incarnations. Not only does this Crusoe convince, but he adds a welcome freshness to the overfamiliar classic. An added plus, Shaw makes arcane and obscure expressions intelligible through superb cadence, phrasing, and understanding. Y.R. ￯﾿ﾽ AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

AudioFile - Don Wismer