Just over three hundred years after Daniel Defoe’s classic novel was published, the premiere of the first-ever accurate map of The Island of Despair is here!
Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, and it’s hard to claim that one can draw an accurate map of a fictional world, but we have at least tried to follow all the clues Defoe provides in his text. The map is inspired by the wonderful map by Clark & Pine from 1719 (published in 1720).
Some of the illustrations on the map are based on Cruikshank-Jackson’s woodcuts from 1831, and for those interested in learning more about the many illustrators who have depicted the novel over the years, there’s an interesting book on the subject which has been widely referenced in the creation of the new map: The Illustration of Robinson Crusoe by David Blewett (1995), which also mentions the map by Clark & Pine.
Robinson Crusoe is not set solely on Crusoe’s uninhabited island; many other journeys are described as well. In the latter half of the 15th century, Europeans began a ruthless slave trade along the west coast of Africa, and Crusoe is on his way to trade slaves in Africa when he encounters several storms that drive their ship toward the uninhabited island.
In one part of the book, Defoe describes Crusoe’s journey from Lisbon to London, traveling mostly overland through Europe. During this journey, the group endures a harsh winter, encounters hungry wolves, and even faces a bear.