Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Illustrated by Frank Goodwin, 1925

Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. Philadelphia, Chicago, Toronto John C. Winston Company, 1925.  Illustrated by Frank Goodwin. Octavo. Publisher’s original navy cloth boards, with full color pastedown and gilt stamped border, titled in gilt on the spine. Illustrated blue endpapers. Four full color, full-page illustrations, including frontispiece, and five black and white full page illustrations. Presented with a new archival slipcase with inlaid illustration on front. 

This is a finely bound example of Daniel Defoe’s classic tale of adventure, Robinson Crusoe. This later printing was published by The John C. Winston Company in 1925 and is distinguished by its illustrations by Frank Goodwin and introduction by Lora B. Peck. It is presented with the publisher’s original navy cloth boards, with full color pastedown and gilt stamped border, titled in gilt on the spine. It has illustrated endpapers, four full color, full-page illustrations, including the frontispiece, and five black and white full-page illustrations.

Defoe’s first long work of fiction, it introduced two of the most-enduring characters in English literature, Robinson Crusoe and Friday. Defoe based part of the character of Robinson Crusoe on the real-life experiences of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who lived on a remote island from 1704 to 1709, yet Defoe extended well beyond Selkirk’s story, weaving in tales of piracy, slavery, religion, adventure, and exploration. In his writing, Defoe blended the traditions of travel literature and adventure stories with fables, allegory, and even memoir, creating a writing style all his own. 

Robinson Crusoe was a popular success in Britain, and it went through four editions in the months after its first publication. Translations were quickly published on the European continent, and Defoe wrote a sequel, The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, that was also published that same year, in 1719. 

Frank Goodwin (1889-1959), a versatile painter and illustrator, achieved some of his greatest acclaim through his book illustration work during the 1920s and 1930s, when his romantic style made him a standout contributor to publisher John C. Winston’s popular editions of the classics. Goodwin began his career at The Washington Star, before refining his craft at the Art Students League in New York. He became a sought-after freelancer whose elegant linework and meticulous cross-hatching graced fiction in major magazines, like Colliers, Liberty, and Cosmopolitan, as well as numerous illustrated books. His illustrations, influenced by contemporaries like James Montgomery Flagg and Charles Dana Gibson, combined romanticism, sophistication, and narrative clarity. He later became well known for his comic strips "Connie" and "Rusty Riley." 

CONDITION: 

Near fine condition. Octavo. Publisher’s original navy cloth boards, with full color pastedown and gilt stamped border, titled in gilt on the spine. Pastedown has several minor surface scuffs and scratches, but is still fully intact and brightly colored. Light fading to gilt stamped border and gilt embossed titles to the front and spine. Minimal wear to cloth along top and bottom edges and headcap. The book has been rebacked in matching navy cloth. Original illustrated blue endpapers. Four full color, full-page illustrations, including frontispiece, and five black and white full page illustrations. Interior pages are very clean, with only light, even toning and one small stain present on pgs. 2-4. Presented with a new archival navy cloth slipcase with inlaid illustration on front. 

Book Dimensions: 8 3/4" H x 6 1/2" H x 1 1/2" D.

Slipcase Dimensions: 9 3/16" H x 6 11/16" W x 1 7/8" D 

Accompanied by our company’s letter of authenticity.