Lot 1149
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. Two original, hand-engraved, 2½ x 2¾ in. dark wooden printing blocks for two scenes in a chap-book edition of Daniel DeFoe's Robinson Crusoe, c. 1700s. The first depicts a shipwreck on a tropical coast, with four men drowning in the ocean while another stands on shore. The second block depicts Crusoe at his record-keeping pillar, located where a river meets the sea. According to "Chap-Books of the Eighteenth Century," these blocks are not from the full length version of DeFoe's "The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe," but are from some chap-book printing in the 1700s, which does match their style. Both blocks have the same diagonal lined border, indicating that both are likely from the same chap-book. Both are clear and in nice condition, with a trivial crack in the upper right on the record-keeping block, and a larger ¼ in. crack in the bottom of the shipwreck block. Neither is signed by the engraver or printer, however, a search through chap-books of the 1700s should reveal which book these blocks were made for. Accompanied by some pages from "Chap-Books of the Eighteenth Century" illustrating some cuts from 1700s chap-book editions of "Robinson Crusoe."
Estimated Value $1,000 - 2,000.
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