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Robinson Crusoe
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Robinson Crusoe Paperback - 2003

by Daniel Defoe; John Richetti (Editor); Introduction by John Richetti

Introduction by John Richetti


About this book

Robinson Crusoe was first published in April 1719, in London. In the beginning, the story was published as an autobiography, but it was later established that the author was Daniel Defoe. The novel became an instant classic, with four editions printed in the first year of publication. Often called the first English novel, it follows the story of Robinson Crusoe, a man marooned on an island. Crusoe’s adventure-packed story of survival started the genre of realistic fiction and inspired a slew of other survival novels. Over the course of its publication history, Robinson Crusoe has become the second-most translated book in the world.

Summary

Who has not dreamed of life on an exotic isle, far away from civilization? Here is the novel which has inspired countless imitations by lesser writers, none of which equal the power and originality of Defoe's famous book. Robinson Crusoe, set ashore on an island after a terrible storm at sea, is forced to make do with only a knife, some tobacco, and a pipe. He learns how to build a canoe, make bread, and endure endless solitude. That is, until, twenty-four years later, when he confronts another human being. First published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe has been praised by such writers as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and Samuel Johnson as one of the greatest novels in the English language.

 

From the publisher

The original tale of a castaway struggling to survive on a remote desert island, and one of the first novels in English The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is washed up on a desert island. In his journal he chronicles his daily battle to stay alive, as he conquers isolation, fashions shelter and clothes, enlists the help of a native islander who he names 'Friday', and fights off cannibals and mutineers. Written in an age of exploration and enterprise, it has been variously interpreted as an embodiment of British imperialist values, as a portrayal of 'natural man', or as a moral fable. But above all is a brilliant narrative, depicting Crusoe's transformation from terrified survivor to self-sufficient master of an island. This edition contains a full chronology of Defoe's life and times, explanatory notes, glossary and a critical introduction discussing Robinson Crusoe as a pioneering work of modern psychological realism. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

First Edition Identification

True first editions of Robinson Crusoe are exceedingly rare and valuable. When the book was first published in April 1719, people read it so often that most copies have since fallen to pieces. The first edition was published by William Taylor at the Ship, a place of publication on Paternoster Row, a street in London home to the city’s publishing trade. The octavo book is bound in crushed red morocco.

Details

  • Title Robinson Crusoe
  • Author Daniel Defoe; John Richetti (Editor); Introduction by John Richetti
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: repri
  • Pages 288
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Group, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • Date 2003-04-29
  • ISBN 9780141439822 / 0141439823
  • Weight 0.45 lbs (0.20 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 in (19.56 x 12.95 x 2.03 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Reading level 1360
  • Library of Congress subjects Survival after airplane accidents,, Islands
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2003544634
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

About the author

Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) had a variety of careers including merchant, soldier, secret agent, and political pamphleteer. He wrote on economics, history, biography and crime but is best remembered for his fiction, which includes Robinson Crusoe (1719), Moll Flanders (1722) and Roxana (1724).

John Richetti
is Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an expert of 18th-century literature and has published widely on the subject.
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Robinson Crusoe

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Robinson Crusoe
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Robinson Crusoe

by Defoe, Daniel

  • Used
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ISBN 13
9780141439822
ISBN 10
0141439823
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Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
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Show Details

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