[Daniel Defoe] | The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe..., London, 1719-1720, 3 volumes

[Daniel Defoe]

The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner... London: Printed for W. Taylor, 1719 — The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe; Being the Second and Last Part of his Life...London: Printed for W. Taylor, 1719— Serious Reflections during the Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe: with his Vision of the Angelick World. London: Printed for W. Taylor, 1720

FIRST EDITION, 3 VOLUMES, 8vo (190 x 115mm.), title page and preface to each volume, engraved frontispiece of Robinson Crusoe in first volume, folding engraved map of the world in second volume, folding engraved plate of Crusoe's island in third volume, errata and advertisements at end of first volume, advertisements at end of second volume, publisher's note and advertisements at start and end of third volume, woodcut publisher's device on titles in second and third volume, woocut head- and tailpieces and initials, nineteenth-century citron morocco by Bedford, spines gilt with raised bands in 6 compartments, edges gilt, marbled endpapers, dentelles gilt

A finely and uniformly bound set of first editions of all 3 parts of Defoe's masterpiece, widely considered the first English novel. Presented as autobiographical, in the form of an epistolary travelogue, it was commonly believed that Crusoe was a real individual, since authorship is credited to "himself", rather than Defoe. The book was celebrated and popular from the outset, later becoming one of the most published books in history, even giving its name to a genre of stories inspired by Defoe's original tale, called "Robinsonade". Defoe was himself inspired by the true story of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish castaway: the Pacific island he lived on for 4 years was renamed "Robinson Crusoe island" in 1966.

This set includes the lesser known second volume, intended as the final issue in the series according to the title page, as well as the third volume published the next year. The Farther Adventures recounts Crusoe's return to his island and his adventures on his journey home through Madagascar, Southeast Asia, China, and Siberia. The third volume comprises a series of essays from the point of view of Crusoe, reflections on "Solitude", "Honesty", and various other philosophical topics, showing the influence of Locke and Montaigne on Defoe's writing.

"The romance of Crusoe's adventures, the figure of civilized man fending for himself on a desert island, has made an imperishable impression on the mind of man ... much of modern science fiction is basically Crusoe's island changed to a planet" (PMM Exhibition Catalogue, 1963, no. 325). According to Coleridge, Defoe was "he, who makes me forget my specific class, character, & circumstances raises me into the Universal Man - Now this is Defoe's Excellence, you become a Man while you read."

LITERATURE

Furbank and Owens 201, 204, 210; Hutchins, pp. 52-65, pp. 97-112, pp. 121-128; Moore 412, 417, 436