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DANIEL DEFOE — ROBINSON CRUSOENumbered Large-Paper Edition • Complete in Four VolumesDesigned by Bruce Rogers at The Riverside PressIllustrations After Thomas Stothard • Copy No. 96
DEFOE, Daniel. The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe and The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company at The Riverside Press, 1908.
A handsome and complete four-volume Large-Paper edition of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, designed by the celebrated American typographer and book designer Bruce Rogers during his influential period at The Riverside Press.
The set comprises both parts of Defoe’s classic:
- Volumes I–II: The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
- Volumes III–IV: The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
Printed in Caslon type, the edition features generous margins, red-and-black title pages, untrimmed deckled edges, and numerous plates reproducing the classic designs of Thomas Stothard, many retaining their original tissue guards.
This is the numbered Large-Paper issue, with “No. 96” handwritten in Volume I. The four volumes are uniformly bound in quarter tan cloth over dark green cloth-covered boards, with printed paper spine labels identifying the set as the “Large Paper” edition.
An attractive early Bruce Rogers production combining an important literary classic, distinguished typography, and the traditional illustrations of one of the foremost English book illustrators of the Georgian period.
Bibliographic DetailsAttributeDetailsAuthorDaniel DefoeTitlesThe Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe; The Farther Adventures of Robinson CrusoePublisherHoughton Mifflin CompanyPressThe Riverside Press, CambridgePlace and DateBoston and New York, 1908EditionNumbered Large-Paper editionCopy NumberNo. 96DesignerBruce RogersTypographyCaslon typeIllustrationsPlates after Thomas StothardVolumesComplete in four volumesBindingQuarter tan cloth over dark green cloth boardsEdgesUntrimmed and deckledLanguageEnglishCondition
Good overall condition, with the principal defect confined largely to the opening leaves of Volume I.
The bindings remain solid and attractive, with light general shelf wear, mild rubbing and soiling to the cloth, and wear, fraying, and small losses to the printed paper spine labels. There is additional light wear at the spine ends. The four volumes nevertheless present handsomely together on the shelf.
The text blocks are generally clean and bright, with broad margins and untrimmed deckled edges. The illustrated plates are present as shown, many with their original tissue guards.
Volume I has damp staining affecting the opening leaves, including the preliminary and title-page area. This staining is clearly shown in the photographs. The remainder of Volume I and the other three volumes appear substantially cleaner overall.
An early pencil ownership inscription dated July 23, 1923 appears on a preliminary blank.
