Written by Daniel Defoe, the story of Robinson Crusoe is based on the experiences of Alexander Selkirk, an English sailor who quarreled with his Captain and at his own request was put ashore on a desolate island off the coast of Chile, where he lived for four years until rescued. The story was designed to bring home to the lower middle-class English the possibility of happiness and comfort, in their condition in life. The morals of resourcefulness and of contentment, however, are not what have made the tale live. Robinson Crusoe may be the classic camping manual and the first of woodcraft books, but it survives today for its story. —The Bookman's Manual: A Guide to Literature, 1921  Click to read Robinson Crusoe Online