The Rival Crusoes; Or, The Ship Wreckalso a Voyage to Norway; And the Fisherman's Cottage.

Two men. One island. A grudge that becomes a matter of survival. Lord Robert Summers, proud and privileged, has long looked down on Philip Harley, a young man of humble origins whose prospects Robert deliberately destroyed. But when Robert boards his uncle's ship for Norway, destiny delivers a different judgment: a furious storm dashes the vessel against rocks, leaving both rivals stranded on a deserted shore with nothing but their enmity and their will to live. As hunger, exposure, and desperation strip away the conventions that once defined them, the two Crusoes must learn to coexist or perish. Agnes Strickland, beloved for her historical romances, crafts a surprisingly sharp tale of class collision and raw survival that predates many later island adventures. The title's playful nod to Defoe hints at what awaits: not a solitary fantasy of mastery, but two wounded men forced to confront who they are when rank means nothing.