Publisher's Synopsis
Gulliver's Travels is a satire of travellers' tales. Upon its publication in 1726, it became immediately popular and has never been out of print. Centring on the travels of Lemuel Gulliver, it made famous the Kingdom of Lilliput and its tiny inhabitants. A work of satire, Gulliver's destinations and the people he encounters poke fun at both the political situation that existed in Britain during Swift's time and also at the human condition. Robinson Crusoe was first published in 1719 and credited Crusoe as the author, so readers believed that he was a real person. Shipwrecked, Crusoe spends 30 years on a remote tropical island before being rescued. It is thought to be one of the first novels in the realistic style and was well received from its first publication. The inspiration for Crusoe himself was believed to be Alexander Selkirk, a Scot who was shipwrecked for four years on a Pacific island that is now part of Chile.
