Robinson Crusoe — Defoe/Wyeth, Scribner 1983

📖 Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1983, Charles Scribner’s Sons) — the classic 1719 adventure novel of shipwreck and survival, illustrated with full-color plates by N.C. Wyeth. This Scribner Illustrated Classics reprint features plates reproduced from Wyeth’s original paintings. Former school library copy from the Housatonic Valley Waldorf School in Newtown, Connecticut.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Daniel Defoe (1660–1731)
• Illustrator: N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945)
• Publisher: Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York
• Year: 1983 (Scribner Illustrated Classics reprint; original Wyeth edition 1920)
• Format: Hardcover with dust jacket
• ISBN: 0-684-17946-6
• Condition: Book: Good+/Very Good- / Dust Jacket: Good+/Very Good- — full report below

THE STORY

First published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe is one of the foundational novels of English literature. Daniel Defoe’s tale of a man shipwrecked on a deserted island for 28 years explores themes of isolation, ingenuity, faith, and the human will to survive. The novel established the realistic fiction genre and has never been out of print. Crusoe’s resourcefulness — building shelter, taming animals, cultivating crops — made the book an enduring parable of self-reliance that influenced centuries of adventure literature.

THIS EDITION

This is a Scribner Illustrated Classics reprint featuring N.C. Wyeth’s iconic color plates, first created for the 1920 edition. The illustrations in this edition were printed from new plates made from the original paintings, ensuring faithful color reproduction of Wyeth’s work. The dust jacket retains its original $19.95 price and features Wyeth’s front cover illustration of Crusoe kneeling before his parrot against a tropical island backdrop. The back flap includes biographical notes on both Defoe and Wyeth.

COVER ART & ILLUSTRATIONS

Wyeth’s illustrations bring Crusoe’s island world to life with rich, earthy color palettes and dramatic compositions. The front cover dust jacket illustration depicts Crusoe in rough garments, kneeling and gesturing toward a vibrant green parrot perched on a wooden pole, with palm trees and blue-green waters behind him. The green cloth boards feature gilt title lettering and decorative stamping on the spine with “SCRIBNERS” at the base. Interior color plates include Crusoe harvesting grain with his parrot nearby (page 154) — a warm scene of golden fields under bright blue skies, rendered in Wyeth’s signature style of dynamic figures set against expansive landscapes.

WHY IT MATTERS

• N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945) was one of America’s greatest illustrators, part of the Brandywine School founded by Howard Pyle. His paintings for Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Robin Hood defined how generations visualized these stories. The back flap notes he created more than 4,000 illustrations, murals, and easel paintings.
• The Scribner Illustrated Classics series kept Wyeth’s work in print through the late 20th century, making these landmark illustrations accessible to new readers and collectors alike.
• Robinson Crusoe is widely considered the first English novel and influenced centuries of adventure literature. The dust jacket quotes Wyeth: “In few books can the reader breathe, live, and move with his hero so intensely, so easily, and so consistently.”

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? A Scribner Illustrated Classics reprint (circa 1983) of the N.C. Wyeth-illustrated Robinson Crusoe, with plates reproduced from the original paintings. ISBN 0-684-17946-6.

What condition is it in? Book and dust jacket both grade Good+/Very Good-. Full condition report below.

Is the dust jacket included? Yes — the original unclipped dust jacket is present with the $19.95 price intact. Some creasing and shelf-wear along edges; laminate beginning to lift at spine head.

FOR COLLECTORS

Wyeth’s Robinson Crusoe plates are among his most sought-after illustrations, and this Scribner reprint uses plates made from the original paintings rather than photographic reproductions, offering color fidelity closer to Wyeth’s intent. The former school library provenance (Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, Newtown CT) adds an appealing literary pedigree — fitting for a book that has educated generations of young readers. This edition pairs well with other Scribner Illustrated Classics by Wyeth, including Treasure Island and Kidnapped.

Condition Report

Overall Grade: Book: Good+ (G+)/Very Good- (VG-) / Dust Jacket: Good+ (G+)/Very Good- (VG-)

Cover & Spine: Green cloth boards with gilt title and decorative stamping on spine. Some sunning along board edges and tanning on the spine, otherwise boards are uniform in color. Corners are fairly crisp, back upper is lightly bumped.

Dust Jacket: Present in original unclipped jacket. Light creasing and shelf-wear along top and bottom edges, most so at spine head where some glossy laminate is beginning to lift from paper. A blue library shelf label is present near the spine base.

Text Block & Pages: Pages are clean and off-white. Color plates are clean and bright. Ex-library markers include a school ink stamp on preliminary page, checkout pocket on rear pastedown, and a handwritten ink signature on lower title page margin.

Binding: Binding is square and tight.

See accompanying images for full condition details.

Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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