Alexander Selkirk Book Launch Saturday 22nd August 2026

LARGO HERITAGE GROUP PRESENTS

 BOOK LAUNCH: ‘ALEXANDER SELKIRK: FICTION’S FIRST CELEBRITY’ BY RONNIE GRAHAM              

Saturday 22nd August 2026: 2pm – 3.30pm.

Aurrie Mor, Lower Largo KY8 6DL

FREE ENTRY EVERYONE WELCOME!

Alexander Selkirk, arguably the most famous castaway in history, was born in Lower Largo, 350 years ago…

Much has been written about his life but there is no unanimous agreement about the details of the story, given the dearth of written evidence. On the other hand, the fictional Robinson Crusoe, drawing heavily on the story of Selkirk’s four-and-a-half years on a Pacific island, is so well known that the real Alexander Selkirk is hard to find.

Using the available evidence, Ronnie Graham brings the story of Alexander Selkirk to life in an attempt to decide what kind of man he was – hero, anti-hero or ‘skellum’.

‘He diverted and provided for himself as well as he could; but for the first eight months had much ado to bear up against Melancholy, and the Terror of being left alone in such a desolate place.’

—from Woodes Rogers, A Cruising Voyage Round the World (1712