Daniel Defoe

Throughout one of English history's most tumultuous periods Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) took part in and reported on nearly every major political religious and social controversy. This widely acclaimed biography offers a fascinating account of Defoe's remarkable life. Paula Backscheider reveals new information about Defoe's secret career as a double agent his daring business ventures his dangerous pen-and his cat-and-mouse games with those who sought to control it. This is the definitive biography of one of eighteenth-century England's most influential figures-and one of the most prolific and widely read authors of all time