ABSTRACT
We know that Daniel Defoe was fascinated by geography and that he collected geographic writing avidly. 1 At a relatively early stage in his career Defoe traveled Britain extensively as an agent of the wily statesman Robert Harley, recording and seeking to influence local allegiances and opinions. 2 His reading and his personal travel experience inspired him with the confidence to offer geographic counsel to his monarch and to publish geographic texts. 3 Organizing contributions from some of the leading geographers of the day, Defoe probably edited the lavish subscription volume Atlas Maritimus & Commercialis ( 1728). 4 But his greatest undisputed geographical achievement is A Tour Thro’ the whole Island of Great Britain, first published in three volumes 1724 and 1726, featuring maps by the prolific German-born cartographer Herman Moll. 5
