An Account of Some Remarkable Passages – Defoe – 1708 | First Edition Devotional

An Account of Some Remarkable Passages in the Life of a Private Gentleman, with Reflections Thereon, attributed to Daniel Defoe and also to Thomas Woodcock, was printed by Joseph Downing in London in 1708. This early eighteenth-century religious and psychological narrative appears as the life story of an unnamed man written for moral reflection. The narrator recounts his temptations, despair, and restoration through repentance and faith. Its anonymous presentation as a recovered manuscript reflects early English interest in moral confession and introspective prose.

Scholars have long debated its authorship, some aligning its tone and structure with Defoe’s early writings, while others credit Woodcock. The text remains a notable example of moral literature from the period, marked by its plain devotional style and spiritual focus. Collectors regard it as significant within the early formation of English psychological fiction and religious narrative.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: An Account of Some Remarkable Passages in the Life of a Private Gentleman, with Reflections Thereon
• Author(s): Attributed to Daniel Defoe & Thomas Woodcock
• Publisher: London: Printed and sold by Joseph Downing
• Edition: First Edition, 1708
• Format: (12mo), single volume
• Binding: Full leather
• Size:  7.25 in x 4.75 in (18.4 cm x 12.1 cm)
• Collation: [xxii], 304 pp
• Contents Include:
  • Prefatory Epistle to the Reader
  • Narrative of the Gentleman’s Spiritual Distress and Recovery
  • Moral Reflections upon Repentance and Faith
• Reference(s): Moore, A Checklist of the Writings of Daniel Defoe, 76.

Condition:

Very Good. Full leather binding tight and secure, hinges reinforced, pages clean with mild toning at preliminaries. Text complete and stable.

Why Collect This?

• Scarce 1708 first edition attributed to Daniel Defoe
• Example of early English spiritual and psychological narrative

Item Number: # 29475