A Tour through the Whole Island of Great Britain

Abstract

Defoe’s Tour through the Whole Island of Great Britain was published in three volumes between 1724 and 1726. It is written in the form of a series of letters, each describing a circuit or journey ‘giving a particular and diverting account of whatever is curious and worth observation … particularly fitted for the reading of such as desire to travel over the island’. It purports to be a guidebook or conducted tour of England, Wales and Scotland based on a series of journeys undertaken on horseback by Defoe between 1722 and 1724 but, in common with A Journal of the Plague Year, it is not quite what it seems to be. Like Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey and Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier, it is a literary re-creation, a distillation of thoughts and impressions gleaned over a considerable period of time. As merchant, soldier, secret agent and journalist he had travelled widely through Britain over a period of 35 years, 1685–1720. His sharp observation, coupled with his wide reading, his knowledge of political and commercial matters and gift for reportage meant that he was uniquely qualified to present a general picture of Britain at a time of social and economic transition.