Robinson Crusoe: A Robert Ingpen Illustrated Classic (Robert Ingpen Illustrated Classics)

About the Author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) was an English trader, writer and poet. His childhood was marked by some of the most important events in British history – the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London – and he grew up in a country that was hostile to his Presbyterian upbringing. He was a powerful and controversial figure, being a trusted adviser to the king, a rebel, a prisoner and a spy. He was also a successful writer with over 300 articles, poems or stories attributed to him. It was towards the end of his life that he wrote his great novels. The most famous of these is Robinson Crusoe, believed to have been inspired by the real-life shipwreck story of Alexander Selkirk who spent four years stranded on the island of Más a Tierra in 1704-09. In 1966 this island was renamed Robinson Crusoe Island. Robert Ingpen was born in 1936 in Geelong, Australia. He studied illustration art and book design at The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. In 1986 he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for his contribution to children's literature and has been honoured with Membership of the Order of Australia. A world-renowned artist and author, he has designed, illustrated and written over 100 books. Robert lives and works in Anglesea, near his home town of Geelong, Australia. Product Description The perfect gift for a young adventurer. Share your beloved childhood stories with the next generation! Young and impulsive, Robinson Crusoe defies the advice of his parents and runs away to sea. He is plagued by misfortune at every turn; his first ship sinks in a violent storm, his friend and mentor dies, then he is captured by pirates and made a slave in the port of Sallee. Through all these hardships, Crusoe's determination and resourcefulness fills him with hope for a better life, and fate delivers him the opportunity for freedom, friendship and riches. But it is when he is shipwrecked on a deserted island that he faces his greatest test: not simply to survive but to thrive. A full-colour illustrated edition of one of the world's best loved stories. 'Ingpen's drawings are utterly compelling' – Michael Morpurgo Book Description A new illustrated gift edition of a beloved classic.