A Critical Bibliography of Daniel Defoe

P N Furbank

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781315476674
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

Daniel Defoe was one of the most prolific writers in English literature, however the canon of works attributed to him swelled from 100 to 570 titles between 1790 and the 1990s. Furbank and Owens provide a critical bibliography of Defoe's works, including evidences for ascription.

A Critical Bibliography of Daniel Defoe

COLLECTED WORKS

1 A True Collection of the Writings of the Author of the True Born English-man. Corrected by Himself. London: Printed, and are to be Sold by most Booksellers in London and Westminster. M DCC III.

Copy: O: Hope 8° 288. 8°: 245 leaves, pp. [24] 1 2–41 42–43 44–63 64–65 66–465 466 blk (150 misnumbered ‘121’). Frontispiece portrait of Defoe by J. Taverner, engraved by Van der Gucht.

Date: Advertised in the Daily Courant for 22 July 1703.

Other locations: BMp, C, COV, Cq, E, Eu, L, Ldw, LEu, Lmh, Lu, LVu, Or; CHS, CLSU, CLU-C, CSmH, CtY-BR, DeU, DFo, DLC, FU, IaU, ICN, ICU, IEN, InU-Li, IU, MB, MH-H, MiEM, MiU, MnU, NcD, NIC, NjP, NjR, NN, NNR, NNU, OrU, OU, PPL, PPRF, PU, RPB-JH, TxHR, TxHU, TxSaC, TxU, Viu, WaU; CaAEU, CaOHM, CaOTU, CaQMM, PRT, SU.

A collection of twenty-two poems and prose tracts, as follows: The True-Born Englishman (17), The Mock-Mourners (32), Reformation of Mannas (34), The Character of the Late Dr. Samuel Annesley (6), The Spanish Descent (38), The Original Power of the Collective Body of the People of England [accidentally left off the table of contents] (31), The Free-holders Plea (20), Reasons Against a War with France (29), An Argument, Shewing, that a Standing Army, with Consent of Parliament, is not Inconsistent with a Free Government (8), The Danger of the Protestant Religion (19), The Villainy of Stock-jobbers Detected (23), The Six Distinguishing Characters of a Parliament-man (18), The Poor Man’s Plea (10), An Enquiry into the Occasional Conformity of Dissenters, in Cases of Preferment (9), A Letter to Mr. How (21), The Two Great Questions Consider’d (15), The Two Great Questions Further Considered (16), An Enquiry into Occasional Conformity (35), A New Test of the Church of England’s Loyalty (33), The Shortest Way with the Dissenters (37), A Brief Explanation of a Late Pamphlet (39), The Shortest Way to Peace and Union (42). A note on the verso of the title-page warns the reader against a ‘pretended Collection, of some of these Tracts, published under the same Name’ in which ‘there are several things inserted … which were not his, and those that are, being full of Errors, Omissions and Mistakes’. The present collection has been corrected ‘and contains above double the number of Tracts that were printed in the said sham Collection’. The preface similarly complains about the injury done by this ‘Piratical Printer’, particularly in his reprinting The Shortest Way with the Dissenters while Defoe was still in prison for writing it.

The ‘pretended Collection’ referred to is A Collection of the Writings of the Author of the True-Born English-Man (‘London, Printed in the Year 1703’), produced by John How and advertised as ‘newly published’ in the London Post 9–12 April 1703. This contained thirteen items, two of which – A Dialogue between a Dissenter and the Observator (40(P)), and Lex Talionis (11(P)) – did not appear in the True Collection, the others being The True-Born Englishman; The Mock Mourners; Reformation of Manners; The Spanish Descent; The Poor Man’s Plea; An Enquiry into the Occasional Conformity of Dissenters, In Cases of Preferment; A New Test of the Church of England’s Loyalty; The Shortest Way with the Dissenters; A Brief Explanation of the Shortest Way; A Letter to Mr. How. Although it has been argued that Defoe may have given approval to the How Collection, despite his later protestations to the contrary, there is no evidence to support this view. (See further, De-Attributions, pp. 13–14.)

In 1705, the same year as A Second Volume of the Writings of the Author of the True-Born Englishman (2), there appeared A True Collection of the Writings of the Author of the True Born English-man. The Second Edition Corrected and Enlarg’d by Himself (‘London: Printed, and are to be Sold by most Booksellers in London and Westminster. MDCCV’). This contains a few corrections and some additional footnotes (but also many errors). Some copies have a variant title-page, which reads ‘The Second Edition with Adetions [sic]. Corrected by himself.’ The sheets of this second edition, together with those of A Second Volume, were later reissued as a two-volume work, with new title-pages, as follows: A True Collection of the Writings of the Author of the True-born English-Man, Containing these following Treatises [list of works in two columns]. Vol. I. [and Vol. II] The Third Edition, Corrected and Enlarg’d by the Author (‘London: Printed and Sold by the Booksellers: Price Bound Six Shillings’). Although undated on the title-pages, this is no doubt the edition in two volumes advertised as ‘this day’ in the Review for 28 December 1710 (‘Sold by John Morphew near Stationers Hall, and most Booksellers in England’).

In the following year there appeared, in two volumes, A Collection of the Writings of the Author of the True-Born Englishman. Corrected and Enlarged by Himself. The Third Edition (‘London: Printed and are to be Sold by most Booksellers in London and Westminster, 1711’). In the Daily Courant for 25 June 1713, the ‘third edition’ of volume one was advertised as ‘tomorrow will be published’, with volume two to be ‘published next Week’; in the Evening Post for 6–9 November 1714 there was an advertisement for ‘The Works of Mr. D. De Foe, two vols. 8°’.

The next issue of which copies are known to exist is entitled The Genuine Works of Mr. Daniel D’ Foe, Author of The True-born English-Man, a Satyr. Containing, Thirty Nine [actually forty] Scarce and Valuable Tracts, upon many Curious and Uncommon Subjects. To which is added a Complete Key to the whole, never before Printed. Vol. I. [and Vol. II]. The imprint runs: ‘London: Printed and Sold by the Booksellers. (Price Twelve Shillings.)’. There is no date, but on 4 October 1721 a work with this title was advertised by Thomas Warner in the St James’s Post. It would appear from the claim on the title-page that this edition, putatively belonging to 1721, represented the first appearance of the ‘Key’. (We are assuming that it is this 1721 ‘Key’ which has been bound up at the back of a first edition of A Second Volume of the Writings in the Newberry Library, Chicago.) Although referring to both volumes, the Key was included at the end of the second volume, separately paginated. It covered the following works: The True-Born Englishman; The Mock Mourners; Reformation of Manners; The Spanish Descent; The Freeholders Plea; The Villainy of Stock-Jobbers Detected; A Test of the Church of England’s Loyalty; The Shortest Way with the Dissenters; A New Discovery of an Old Intreague; More Reformation; An Elegy on the Author of the True-Born Englishman; A Hymn to the Pillory; A Hymn to Victory; The Pacificator; The Double Welcome; The Dissenters Answer to the High-Church Challenge; Peace without Union; More Short Ways with the Dissenters; A New Test of the Church of England’s Honesty; A Serious Enquiry into this Grand Question; The Dissenter Misrepresented and Represented; The Parallel; Royal Religion. Since the wording of the title of this edition, with its queer spelling ‘D’ Foe’, suggests that it may not have been supervised by Defoe, there must remain some uncertainty as to whether the Key was in fact his own work.

2 A Second Volume of the Writings of the Author of the True-Born Englishman. Some whereof never before Printed. Corrected and Enlarged by the Author. London: Printed, and Sold by the Booksellers. 1705. Price 6 s.

Copy: D: J828. 8°:248 leaves, pp. i–xvi 1 2 3 4–5 6–27 28–32 33–65 66 67–363 364–366 367–416 417–418 419–450 451–452 453–479 480 (final page advertisements for books). Frontispiece portrait of Defoe by J. Taverner, engraved by Van der Gucht.

Date: Among the titles advertised on the verso of p. 479 is The Ballance, a pamphlet advertised as ‘just published’ in the Little Review, 8 June 1705. An ‘Advertisement’ on the verso of the title-page refers to the second edition of the True Collection as ‘lately publish’d’.

Other locations: BMp, C, E, L, Lmh, Lu, O; CLU-C, CSmH, CtY-BR, IaU, ICN, InU-Li, IU, MB, MH-H, MiEM, NIC, NjP, NN, NNC, NNU, PPRF, RPB-JH, TxHR, TxU, WU; CaOTU, CaQMM, NU, SU.

A collection of eighteen poems and prose works, as follows: A New Discovery of an Old Intreague (4), More Reformation (41), An Elegy on the Author of the True-Born Englishman (60), The Storm. An Essay (60), A Hymn to the Pillory (43), A Hymn to Victory (61), The Pacificator (14), The Double Welcome (65), The Dissenters Answer to the High-Church Challenge (50), A Challenge of Peace (47), Peace without Union (49), More Short Ways with the Dissenters (57), A New Test of the Church of England’s Honesty (58), A Serious Enquiry into this Grand Question (52), The Dissenter Misrepresented and Represented (64), The Parallel (70), Giving Alms No Charity (62), Royal Religion (54). The Preface is signed ‘D.F.’

For details of later editions, see under 1 above.

BOOKS, PAMPHLETS AND BROADSHEETS

3(P) A Letter to a Dissenter from his Friend at the Hague, Concerning the Penal Laws and the Test; Shewing that the Popular Plea for Liberty of Conscience is not Concerned in that Question. [Colophon: ‘Tot de Hague [i.e. London?], gedruckt door Hans Verdraeght, 1688.’]

Copy: L: 8122.bb.19 (7). 4°: 2 leaves, pp. 1–4. Drop-head title.

Date: Probably published about July or August 1688 (see below).

Other locations: Ct, DUu, E, Ldw, O, Ow; CLU-C, CSmH, CtY-BR, DFo, ICN, IU, MB, MH, MnU, NIC, NNUT, PPRF, TxU; CaOTU.

A forcefully argued pamphlet designed to persuade Dissenters not to be fooled by James II’s offer to repeal the Test Act of 1673. The motive, it argues, cannot be to ensure liberty of conscience since that is something the Dissenters already enjoy, as do Roman Catholics; thus the real purpose must be to enable Catholics to ‘possess all places of Honour, Profit and Trust in the Nation’ (p. 2). It refers to the acquittal of the seven bishops, which took place on 30 June, and to ‘talk of an Equivalent’, i.e. a statutory guarantee of the rights and privileges of the Church of England in return for repeal of the Test Act, first publicly offered in James II’s proclamation of 21 September.

First attributed by Moore. It seems very probable that this is the pamphlet referred to by Defoe in the Review for 24 November 1711, where he describes how he offended his Dissenting brethren ‘when, in print, I oppos’d at the utmost hazard, the taking off the Penal Laws and Test’. He repeats this in his Appeal to Honour and Justice (171), pp. 51–52, where he speaks of having ‘differed with my Friends … when King James was wheedling the Dissenters to take off the Penal Laws and Test’; compare A Letter, p. 1, which refers to the pretence of ‘Liberty of Conscience’ being ‘made use of to wheadle unthink...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Library symbols
• Critical bibliography
• Appendices
• General index
• Defoe title index