Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe · first published 1686
27% recommend68% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Castaway survival story that readers return to from childhood on; valued for its self-reliant protagonist building a life from almost nothing, and for rereads that reveal new depth. Short enough to read in a day.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
During one of his several adventurous voyages in the 1600's, an Englishman becomes the sole survivor of a shipwreck and lives for nearly thirty years on a deserted island.
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…tricky to understand, but they are called "classics" for a reason... Specific suggestions (incomplete and in no particular order): Shakespeare's plays, Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe", Harper Lee's "To kill a mockingbird", JM Barrie's "Peter Pan", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories...
on “Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction” ↗…perspective has changed or that I'll identify with completely different characters, or be awed by a passage that my earlier self overlooked. Several that come to mind are Heart of Darkness Moby Dick Robinson Crusoe Pretty much any Chekhov story Cathedral by Raymond Carver
on “Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?” ↗J. R. R. Tolkien's Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Most of the Jules Verne's books, The Iliad and The Odyssey from Homer, The Godfather from Mario Puzo, Hermit in Paris, Under the Jaguar Sun, The Complete…
on “Ask HN: What book have you re-read 3x or more?” ↗…Literature from before 1800, Davis notes, is ‘mostly unread, even by writers’ I strongly disagree. There are many counterexamples, some authors are still widely read. Besides Shakespeare, it's Defoe, his Robinson Crusoe is one of defining books for me, later I also enjoyed Journal of the Plague Year and Moll Flanders. Swift's Gulliver's Travels is in top ten list all of the books I ever read.
on “Why did books start being divided into chapters? A new history” ↗Robinson Crusoe
on “Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?” ↗Woooo, Robinson Crusoe! I read that in the third grade, favorite book of all time.
on “The 100 best novels written in English: the full list” ↗…Adventure Story where the protagonist engineers and builds their own world from scratch (or almost) - see My Side of the Mountain [1], The Game [2], [Conrad Stargard series][3], Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe, etc, etc . So I really liked the first book in the Safehold Series [4] and I put up with the atrocious names (Zhasphar Clyntyn?!?!?) and the insipid, trite and self-congratulatory characters, and even…
on “Science-fictional shibboleths” ↗Nonfiction:Global Brain, Fiction:Robinson Crusoe. A handful of poetry (rumi) and philosophy books over the years too.
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗Robinson Crusoe, swedish translation by May Bylock is probably the book i have read the most since the beginning of elementary school. Very short, can be read in a day. Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick is a very…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?” ↗Good points and analogy :) The last paragraph reminds me of novels like The Swiss Family Robinson and Robinson Crusoe, which were fun reading while growing up.
on “How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit” ↗Solitude isn't for everybody. I've always been attracted to it. My favorite books as a kid were about being alone: Robinson Crusoe, The Other Side of the Mountain. “Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.” ― William Gibson I think…
on “Not interacting with people reduces cognitive function over time, study finds” ↗Routine :structure the days with little accomplishments. Also reading Robinson Crusoe
on “What has kept you going during a personal crisis?” ↗…though. I've got a minor obsession with reading memoirs by people who've survived extreme situations like polar expeditions, trench warfare, captivity, torture, etc. (Probably all started when I read Robinson Crusoe). All their stories seem to congregate around the idea that having to something to do with your mind is crucial to survival, even if it is somewhat rote.
on “Scientists find ways to boost memory in aging brains” ↗Don't miss A story of Robinson Crusoe chapter. Great parable.
on “Nash’s “Ideal Money and Asymptotically Ideal Money” Annotated” ↗…robot series, foundation and short stories starting with The Last Question. Jules Verne Mark Twain, various stories but particularly the Diary of Adam & Eve The Jungle Book by Kipling Lost Horizon Robinson Crusoe Dune Series Enders Game and sequels. The Odyssey The Count of Monte Cristo Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card because it helped me understand that a cultures internally consumed fiction tells you about…
on “Ask HN: Life Changing Books?” ↗