Daniel Defoe





Daniel Defoe


Born
London, The United Kingdom
Died
April 24, 1731

Genre


Daniel Defoe (1659/1661 [?] - 1731) was an English writer, journalist, and spy, who gained enduring fame for his novel, Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest practitioners of the novel and helped popularize the genre in Britain. In some texts he is even referred to as one of the founders, if not the founder, of the English novel. A prolific and versatile writer, he wrote 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.

Average rating: 3.63 · 227,633 ratings · 6,067 reviews · 1,103 distinct works · Similar authors
Robinson Crusoe

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3.66 avg rating — 181,333 ratings — published 1719 — 1891 editions
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Moll Flanders

3.48 avg rating — 30,981 ratings — published 1721 — 539 editions
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The Further Adventures Of R...

3.90 avg rating — 4,208 ratings — published 1719 — 86 editions
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A Journal of the Plague Year

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3.54 avg rating — 3,769 ratings — published 1722 — 223 editions
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Roxana

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3.44 avg rating — 2,878 ratings — published 1724 — 101 editions
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Captain Singleton

3.38 avg rating — 217 ratings — published 1720 — 112 editions
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The King of Pirates

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3.21 avg rating — 71 ratings — published 1719 — 37 editions
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Colonel Jack

3.09 avg rating — 65 ratings — published 1722 — 31 editions
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A Tour Through the Whole Is...

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3.74 avg rating — 47 ratings — published 1724 — 26 editions
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The History of the Devil As...

3.68 avg rating — 65 ratings — published 1726 — 47 editions
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More books by Daniel Defoe…
Robinson Crusoe The Further Adventures Of R...
Robinson Crusoe (3 books)
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3.66 avg rating — 185,560 ratings

“It is never too late to be wise.”
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

“The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear.”
Daniel Defoe

“Expect nothing and you'll always be surprised”
Daniel Defoe

Polls

October 2015 Old School Classic Poll

 
  31 votes, 21.1%

 
  26 votes, 17.7%

 
  17 votes, 11.6%

1880, Heidi by Johanna Spyri, 352 pages
 
  17 votes, 11.6%

1877, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 245 pages
 
  16 votes, 10.9%

1721, Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe, 339 pages
 
  12 votes, 8.2%

1893, Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain, 160 pages
 
  12 votes, 8.2%

 
  10 votes, 6.8%

1874, Ninety-Three by Victor Hugo, 352 pages
 
  4 votes, 2.7%

 
  2 votes, 1.4%

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