An Essay Upon Projects contains a series of ideas and opinions which Daniel Defoe published in an attempt to encourage social reform in England during the late 17th century.
The essay is lengthy and wide in scope; Defoe proposes a series of reforms and developments to financial institutions, England's roadways, and the need for a pension given to professional civil servants and sailors of the Crown. Perhaps most famously, Defoe advances the idea of a higher educational institution for women, modeled after the French academies of the era, while at the same time mounting a spirited defense of the female character; these arguments were almost unheard of in the late 17th century.
During and after his life, Defoe was primarily famed for his works of fiction. His story Robinson Crusoe remains a world famous landmark of English literature. His books were quite synonymous with the adventurous, commercial spirit which defined England at the time, and to a great extent Defoe's own life as an ambitious trader and traveled merchant. Although he held minor roles in the British government, Defoe was far more vested in mercantile pursuits rather than politics or social reform.
This edition of An Essay Upon Projects contains a complete biographical introduction by Henry Morley, together with four illustrations of prominent figures instrumental to Defoe's life. The essay is written in Defoe's easily recognized and digestible style, and offers superb insight into the society of his era.
