Robinson Crusoe · 1719
The story of a sailor shipwrecked alone on a desert island, where he must build a life from nothing - shelter, food, tools, a calendar, a daily routine - year after year. It reads as a patient record of survival and self-reliance, and it became the model for every desert-island story that followed.
The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe · 1719
The direct sequel, in which the older Crusoe leaves England again and travels far - back to his island, then on across the seas to the Far East and overland through Asia. A restless book of voyages and encounters, driven by the same hunger for the world that the first part only hinted at.
Serious Reflections During the Life of Robinson Crusoe · 1720
The third and last Crusoe book, and the odd one out: not adventure but reflection. Here Defoe lets his hero step back and think aloud - on solitude, faith, honesty and the meaning of everything that happened to him. A quieter, more essayistic close to the trilogy.