The Life and Strange Suprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner [...]. By Daniel Defoe. The Third Edition. London: W. Taylor, 1719.
-------------------
With the first edition being valued in excess of $100,000, this third edition is practically the earliest obtainable edition of Robinson Crusoe, published the same year as the first. "Three hundred years on it is hard to overestimate the influence Defoe’s work has had on English Literature. These castaway stories fill not only our shelves but also the silver screens. The Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is second only to the bible in number of translations. The protagonist is a household name. The novel rests firmly in a selective group of fiction where one feels as though they know the story of Robinson Crusoe without having ever read the book."
(Thompson, P. (2019). 300 Years of Robinson Crusoe. Sotheby's)
-------------------
Size: 120 x 188 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(1), t.p., 2pp., 364pp., 4pp., (1)]
Modern fine binding, very attractive indeed. Spine finely tooled in compartments between raised bands with the publisher's information and date notably finely tooled at the foot. Tooled red morocco label laid down. A lovely binding. This edition is not to be confused with the 19th century facsimile of this third edition; this is the original third edition of 1719. Binding generally in fine condition, structurally secure, not bound overly tight and functions properly as a book should. Without shelf lean. Minor staining to page edges, dulled, not affecting text. Lacks frontispiece and original blanks else collates complete through the text, includes 4pp. of publisher's advertisements bound in at the rear which are notably scarce. No attached bookplates, but with a contemporary ink inscription to head of title. Toned throughout the text block as typical with some minor scattered spotting, some staining to the first few leaves and very sporadically throughout, a few spots covering a few letters of text, but without loss of sense to the text.
