This Norton Critical Edition includes: The complete first edition (1722) text of the novel. Albert J. Rivero’s revised preface, annotations, and essay on the novel’s textual history. A selection of contextual materials, including documents on convict transportation and colonial laws, contemporary accounts of criminals, and a brand-new selection of Defoe’s own writings on similar issues. Nine critical interpretations—five of which are new to the Second Edition—analyzing important themes, such as economic necessity and gender relations. A chronology of Defoe’s life and a selected bibliography.