| Author | Daniel Defoe |
|---|---|
| Country | London, England |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Printed by R. R. for Tho[mas] Cockerill, at the Three Legs in the Poultrey |
Publication date | 1697 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | xiv; 336 |
| OCLC | 6978589 |
An Essay Upon Projects (1697)[1] was the first volume published by Daniel Defoe.[2] It begins with an introduction containing a portrait of his time as a "Projecting Age",[3] and subsequently illustrates plans for the economic and social improvement of England,[4] including an early proposal for a national insurance scheme.
The text was written in 1693 and published in 1697. The title page states that it was "[p]rinted by R. R. for Tho[mas] Cockerill, at the Three Legs in the Poultrey. MDCXCVII." There is no known manuscript of the work. The essay was reprinted several times and reached a wide audience.[5]: 105 The book was dedicated to Dalby Thomas.
Many of its issues were later revised in a series of pamphlets which were published under the nom-de-plume of Andrew Moreton.[2] They are titled Every-body's Business, Is No-body's Business (1725), The Protestant Monastery (1726), Parochial Tyranny (1727), Augusta Triumphans (1728) and Second Thoughts are Best (1729).[2] Compared to these works, however, An Essay Upon Projects is more focused on moral criticism than being project-oriented.[6]