#13: Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe was an instant bestseller in 1719, yet Daniel Defoe never became rich from it. Why not? In this episode, we look at how authors made (and failed to make) money in the early 18th century, and how printers like William Taylor profited far more than the writers themselves. Books Discussed Robinson Crusoe (1719) — Daniel Defoe The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1719) — Daniel Defoe Serious Reflections During the Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1720) — Daniel Defoe Journal of the Plague Year (1722) — Daniel Defoe Moll Flanders (1722) — Daniel Defoe Frankenstein (1818) — Mary Shelley The Martian (2014) — Andy Weir People Referenced 00:16 - Daniel Defoe — Author of Robinson Crusoe, pamphleteer, journalist, and one of the early writers of the novel 00:55 - William Taylor — London printer and bookseller who published Robinson Crusoe 01:25 - Nathaniel Mist — Printer and publisher of Mist’s Weekly Journal, for whom Defoe worked while secretly reporting to the government 13:15 - Mary Shelley — Author of Frankenstein 15:30 - Charles Dickens — 19th-century novelist who published many works as serials 15:35 - Louisa May Alcott — Author of Little Women, also serialized before book publication 15:20 - Rose Wilder Lane — Daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who targeted serialization markets in the 1930s 15:40 - Andy Weir — Author of The Martian, first published as a serialized story on his blog Episode Links Episode 11: Defoe, the Pillory, and Seditious Libel Episode 3: Laura Ingalls Wilder (part 1) Episode 4: Laura Ingalls Wilder (part 2)