A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain [1] is an account of his travels by English author Daniel Defoe, first published in three volumes from 1724 to 1726.
A non-fiction work that gives a matter-of-fact account of Defoe's visits to various places, at a time when there were no ready reference works. Anyone living in Great Britain may find their own locality described there.
It is also a valuable source-work for anyone trying to get an idea of the state of England, Scotland and Wales a few decades before the Industrial Revolution. (The Industrial Revolution is normally reckoned to have begun in the 1760s, though some scholars say it had already started when Defoe was writing.)
It is not known if Defoe personally visited every single town in his tour, or if some of his friends recommended him to include them in his tour based on their experiences.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain (complete, but not proof-read), from Internet Archive, 6th edition, London: D. Browne [etc.], 1762.
- A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain - Eastern Counties of England (partial), from Project Gutenberg, unknown edition, unknown translator.
- A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain - Letters 11-13 (in Vol.3) relating to Scotland (partial)
- Defoe on Turnpike roads (excerpt)
