Daniel Defoe is best known as the author of "Robinson Crusoe," published in 1719. However between 1724 and 1726 he published the three volume work, "A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain." This is a superb and detailed account of what Great Britain was like on the eve of the industrial and agricultural revolutions, written in a matter-of-fact style that comes over as surprisingly modern.

The three volumes are written in the form of 13 "letters," each describing a tour undertaken by Defoe.