This is a taster episode from our sister show, Short History Of… which is also hosted by John Hopkins.

Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe is one of the most widely published books in history. This story of a man stranded alone on an island is said to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations. But who was Defoe’s inspiration for creating one of the best-known protagonists in literature? And what led to this real-life sailor spending years of his life cut off from human contact?

This is a Short History of the Real Robinson Crusoe.

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