Robinson Crusoe certainly ranks up there as one of the favorite books for publishers to reissue with new illustrations. The adventure, the scenery, and the familiarity with
the story seem to guarantee an audience no matter the era. Daniel de Foe wrote the book in the early 18th century (1719), and I don’t think anyone knows how many
editions there have been, nor how many well known illustrators have taken on the challenge of presenting the material in a new light over the subsequent 290 years.
Google has digitized many versions, although none with good illustration reproductions of course. You can, however, browse the various editions to get an idea of the
different illustrative styles. HERE is a Google Books example from 1831, a Cochrane and Pickersgill edition, where the entire text is accessible.
Alexander Frank Lydon (1836-1917) was a British artist who produced a lot of natural history work, including parrots, other birds, and fish among much else. His prints
and books with his work show up frequently on eBay at fairly reasonable prices.
Grooombridge put out this edition in the mid 19th century and I believe it went through at least a few printings over a number of years, but I am not certain. The images I have here have been edited and cleaned up.
Title: The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
Author: Daniel de Foe
Artist: A. F. Lydon
Publisher: Groombridge and Sons
Date Published: circa 1865
As always, everything that you can download from Old Book Art is free to use however you wish.
