Despite the presence on my bookshelf, for many years, of my mother's copy of Defoe's book (kept for that reason and for the N.C. Wyeth illustrations), I cannot say that it was ever a favorite of mine. Certainly the heavy doses of sermonizing did not attract me as a youngster.

Reading it again, in this version annotated with notes comparing Defoe's fictional character's life with that of his real-life inspiration, Alexander Selkirk, I found more to enjoy. Though the sermonizing still detracts from the book for me, I am mature enough now to accept it in its context, and let myself be drawn into the story. The story of a man marooned on a desert island for "eight and twenty years, two months, and nineteen days", filled with all the details of how he sheltered himself, fed himself, entertained himself, how he filled his days, is told by Defoe in a surprisingly interesting fashion. I say "surprisingly" because, after all, the days must run together in much of a muchness, with little variety, in the constant struggle for survival. Yet Defoe manages to draw us in, and not a little of that is due to describing, not merely Crusoe's actions, but his thoughts.

Now the Bruces come along and give us, side by side with Defoe's text, glimpses into Selkirk's life, so that we may, as was often said in high school English class, "compare and contrast" the two. By doing so, they give us a glimpse into how a writer can take an event and transform it, keeping the nub of it but expanding on it, and using it to present a philosophy as well as a rousing good story. Indeed, if I have any criticism of this presentation, it is that I would have liked to have had a short biographical sketch of Selkirk at the beginning of the book. This would, I think, make it easier for those not familiar with his story to follow the notes.

I must add that the Bruces' descriptions of their visit to the actual island on which Selkirk was marooned, and of their researches in England and Scotland, were a definite bonus!