This book contains true stories which inspired Daniel Defoe; tales of bravery, courage, determination and good fortune, along with some of the reasons why people found themselves cast away. These included being wrecked, abandoned as a punishment, marooned by pirates – or even out of deliberate choice. Rendell recounts amazing tales of survival in the face of adversity – in the Falklands, the Caribbean and off the coast of Australia. Perhaps the most astonishing story of them all is that of sixty slaves abandoned on a desolate treeless island in the Indian Ocean and left there for fifteen years; some survived against all odds. Being cast away brings out the best in some – and in others the very worst.

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Julian Stockwin

The book is an easy read and brings to light castaway experiences that few are likely to have heard about.

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Naval Historical Foundation

I found his book to be something a little bit different and a thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable read I’m now very happy to recommend.

Warship World, November/December 2019 - reviewed by Alex Manning

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Ripperologist, October 2019

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Family Tree, November 2019

This is a beautifully presented book, the cover immediately getting you into the frame of mind for the era that it describes. I had it recommended to me after reading Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe”, which is, as the title suggests, the jumping off point for this guide to the real Crusoe (and Defoe), other castaways of the era, and victims of shipwrecks, some famous, some infamous, some little known but worth knowing about.

It’s a very readable guide for the casual reader, as well as for serious historians, with a high level of detail about the various journeys. The author’s style is personal and personable, authoritative without ever being stuffy.

Having read it, I realise that Crusoe was not untypical of this dangerous age, and reading about the hazards of the journeys even when plain sailing (the nutrition, the piracy, the mutinies) made me wonder that anyone arrived at their destination intact at all.

This would be a good gift for anyone interested in Robinson Crusoe and Defoe in particular, or in historical sea voyages in general.

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Debbie Young's Writing Life

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Book mentioned on the 'Book Club Show' by Debbie Young, click here to listen

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BBC Radio Gloucestershire, 20th August 2019

Robinson Crusoe is fictional, so Crusoe, Castaways and Shipwrecks begins as a study in English Literature, discussing the author, Daniel Defoe, and his book and then charting the castaway genre to which it gave rise in print, radio, TV and pantomime. Rendell then goes on to consider some of the real life castaways whose stories may have inspired the novel (not only Alexander Selkirk) and finally summarises other famous castaway epics over the next 200 years, notably the open boat voyage of Captain Bligh across the South Pacific after the mutiny.

As Robinson Crusoe proved, you cannot lose with a castaway story. They are all fascinating.

Historical Novels Review

This entertaining book comes with eight pages of colored pictures, a detailed bibliography, and an index. If you’re at all familiar with Robinson Crusoe, this book will interest you by explaining how the fictional Crusoe was created and some of the real-life incidents that appeared in Defoe’s novel. Anyone with an interest in seafaring or the calamities of shipwrecks is sure to enjoy reading this great new book.

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Pirates and Privateers, Cindy Vallar

This new book takes a 300th Anniversary of publication look at the book, the author, the wider subject. – Very Highly Recommended

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Firetrench

It is not a huge book but is nicely presented with decent quality paper (a pet peeve of mine on some prints) so it makes a pleasant light read and the author shows considerable mastery of his obvious interests. I found it both fascinating and readable any would recommend it to anyone with an interest in some of the more common disasters that could affect seafarers in those far off times.

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Model Ship World