DEFOE, Daniel.
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe; The Life of Daniel De Foe.
London: John Stockdale , 1804.
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+$450
"the first novel in the English language": Finely bound editions of Daniel Defoe's classic Robinson Crusoe series
Finely bound early example of Stothard’s illustrated edition of Defoe’s classic adventure tale. Quarto, two volumes bound in full speckled calf by Wallis with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, triple gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, all edges gilt, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers. Illustrated with seventeen plates drawn by Stothard and engraved by Medland, with an additional twenty proof plates. In very good condition, rebacked. "The Life of Daniel De Foe" bound in at the rear of volume two. Housed in a custom cloth slipcase.
"Robinson Crusoe is the most popular, delightful, and extraordinary of all Defoe's Works, and has lost none of its original attraction. Dr. Johnson observed, `nobody ever laid it down without wishing it were longer'" (Lowndes, 613-14). Stothard was the first English artist to realize the visual potential of Robinson Crusoe." As opposed to previous illustrators of the text, “Stothard depicts Crusoe not as a sinful or isolated figure, but as a social man who leaves his family with regret and who rejoices in his companionship with Friday and, later, with the Spanish lieutenant. Rather than fear, he emphasizes contentment, harmony and the nobility of man… His designs set an idealistic and romantic standard that subsequent artists aspired to equal” (Picturing the First Castaway, Rutgers University).
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe; The Life of Daniel De Foe.
$2,000.00
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