The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe: Unabridged edition (Immortal Classics) - Softcover

Robinson Crusoe is the most famous castaway story ever written, authored by Daniel Defoe, first published in1719. After a storm, Robinson suffers a shipwreck and strands on the desert “Island of Despair” with only a few tools and he has to learn how to survive for the next 26 years. The first edition credited the work's protagonist as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a travelogue of true incidents. Despite its simple narrative style, Robinson Crusoe was well received in the literary world and is often credited as marking the beginning of realistic fiction as a literary genre. Before the end of 1719, the book had already run through four editions, and it has gone on to become one of the most widely published books in history, spawning numerous sequels and adaptations for stage, film, and TV.

Daniel Defoe (1660–1731), born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer, and spy, most famous for his novels about Robinson Crusoe and novels Moll Flanders and Colonel Jack. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and with others such as Samuel Richardson, and thus 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. He was also a pioneer of economic journalism.