Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe Deseret Alphabet edition

Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer, and spy. Defoe is noted for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, and is among the founders of the English novel. He was a prolific and versatile writer, producing more than five hundred books, pamphlets, and journals on various topics, including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology, and the supernatural.



Robinson Crusoe is Defoe's most successful work. First published in 1719, it was an instant success and went through four editions by the end of the year; Defoe followed it up with two sequels. The core of the story is an account of Crusoe's quarter century alone on an uninhabited island; near the end of his stay, he is joined by a Caribbean islander who becomes his manservant, Friday. Although one of the first novels in English, it is among the most popular and endures constant adaptations and imitations.



This book is in the Deseret Alphabet, a phonetic alphabet for writing English developed in the mid-19th century at the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah).