Alexander Selkirk

As many know, Defoe's story of Robinson Crusoe is often linked to the real life story of Alexander Selkirk. This connection wasn't made, though, until 30 years after the first publication of Defoe's text when John Entick wrote A New Naval History claiming that Selkirk had given Defoe written material which he used for the basis of Robinson Crusoe. The myth that Robinson Crusoe is in fact Selkirk's story has loomed large for many readers. Perhaps people want to believe that someone could truly survive in nature—and then civilize it. So the second half of the 18th century saw several editions that contained accounts and biographies of Alexander Selkirk. One edition published in 1800 actually contains a poem by William Cowper entitled: "Verses Supoosed to have Been Written by Alexander Selkirk."