Daniel Defoe

The Complete English Tradesman Daniel Defoe

Publisher Marketing: The Complete English Tradesman - By Daniel Defoe. Daniel Defoe; c. 1660 - 24 April 1731, born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer, and spy, now most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain, and, along with others such as Samuel Richardson, is among the founders of the English novel. A prolific and versatile writer, he wrote more than 500 books, pamphlets and journals on various topics (including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural). He was also a pioneer of economic journalism. From 1719 to 1724, Defoe published the novels for which he is famous (see below). In the final decade of his life, he also wrote conduct manuals, including Religious Courtship (1722), The Complete English Tradesman (1726) and The New Family Instructor (1727). He published a number of books decrying the breakdown of the social order, such as The Great Law of Subordination Considered (1724) and Everybody's Business is Nobody's Business (1725) and works on the supernatural, like The Political History of the Devil (1726), A System of Magick (1727) and An Essay on the History and Reality of Apparitions (1727). His works on foreign travel and trade include A General History of Discoveries and Improvements (1727) and Atlas Maritimus and Commercialis (1728). Perhaps his greatest achievement with the novels is the magisterial A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain (1724-27), which provided a panoramic survey of British trade on the eve of the Industrial Revolution. Contributor Bio:  Defoe, Daniel Born in 1660 in London, England, DANIEL DEFOE led an interesting and complicated life. He once owned a haberdashery (or hat shop), served as an advisor to King William, became quite wealthy, lost his fortune, served several months in prison for religious and political dissent for his writings, and spent much of his later life avoiding debt collectors. However, in 1716, he published Robinson Crusoe, a literary masterpiece that proved immediately popular for its adventurous and creative storytelling. While he died penniless in 1731, Defoe's books are still read by people all over the world.