Robinson Crusoe: The Original 1719 Edition

by Daniel Defoe

“It is never too late to be wise.” ― Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe , first published on 25 April 1719. This first edition credited the work's fictional protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a travelogue of true incidents.

It was published under the considerably longer original title The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Of York, Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely delivered by Pirates. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character (whose birth name is Robinson Kreutznaer)—a castaway who spends years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers before being rescued. The story is widely perceived to have been influenced by the life of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish castaway who lived for four years on the Pacific island called "Más a Tierra" (in 1966 its name was changed to Robinson Crusoe Island), Chile.

However, other possible sources have been put forward for the text. It is possible, for example, that Defoe was inspired by the Latin or English translations of Ibn Tufail's Hayy ibn Yaqdhan, an earlier novel also set on a desert island. Another source for Defoe's novel may have been Robert Knox's account of his abduction by the King of Ceylon in 1659 in "An Historical Account of the Island Ceylon," James MacLehose and Sons.

211 pages, Paperback

Published February 2, 2023

About the author

Daniel Defoe was an English novelist, journalist, merchant, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations. He has been seen as one of the earliest proponents of the English novel, and helped to popularise the form in Britain with others such as Aphra Behn and Samuel Richardson. Defoe wrote many political tracts, was often in trouble with the authorities, and spent a period in prison. Intellectuals and political leaders paid attention to his fresh ideas and sometimes consulted him.
Defoe was a prolific and versatile writer, producing more than three hundred works—books, pamphlets, and journals—on diverse topics, including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural. He was also a pioneer of business journalism and economic journalism.

Reviews

[Jack Eiselt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robinson Crusoe

Jesus, is this what it’s like listening to my overthinking? It took me far too long to realize that I could simply skip paragraphs’ worth of Defoe’s religious ramblings and lists of minutiae and still totally grasp this story. I actually rather liked the philosophical pondering and Crusoe’s exposition, but when Defoe gets repetitive, he gets REALLY repetitive. (Take a drink every time “Providence bestows” something or other upon Crusoe.)

In some cases, excerpts were wildly poetic and well-written, even by today’s standards.

“I stepped back and was indeed struck with such a surprise that it put me into a cold sweat, and if I had a hat on my head, I will not answer for it that my hair might not have lifted it off.”

I’m not here to judge the colonialism and moral spine of a 300-year old book (pun intended) — because, respectfully, no shit — but to judge the religious zealotry that made an exciting premise so deeply monotonous to read. Still — glad I’ve finally read this classic now.

[Evan Czerwinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great novel about the strive to survive and the undying nature of the human spirit. The narrative often delves into philosophies of want, reflection and the desire to survive. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone and think that it transcends simply being an adventure novel or story of survival. Beyond this the novel is very well written and exciting to read. The only knock on it is that it goes into depth about religious thought, however I believe this is thematically acceptable due to the title character spending 28 years on an island, and finally being rescued feeling thankful for it, also religion is a theme throughout so makes sense

[William R · Rating 4 out of 5]

One long chapter haha