The Children's Crusoe: Godolphin, Leese, Abbott, Jackson.
Though Robinson Crusoe was originally written for adults, parents soon took note of its suitability as a manual for the development of selfhood in children. As publishers became aware of the frequency with which parents and schoolmasters bestowed Robinson Crusoe on young people, they began to issue abridged copies with larger type, sometimes re-written in words of one syllable and usually illustrated. The illustrations, which initially had stressed the terror and physical peril that Crusoe had endured during his shipwreck and confinement on the island, now emphasized his domesticity, his friendship with animals and his companion Friday, and his expectation of eventual rescue. Gertrude Leese (fl. 1902-11), in an edition directed toward children, shifts the focus of the illustrations from "self-sufficiency toward adventure and companionship" (Blewett 158), while Elenore Plaisted Abbott (1875-1935) eliminates the conventional scenes of danger and violence in favor of a "psychological portrait of a man who has to learn to live not only by himself but with himself" (Blewett 165). A. E. Jackson (1873-1952) devised 48 color plates for an edition in 1921 that present Crusoe as the keeper and protector of the wildlife of his domain.
"My dog was a pleasant and loving companion"
Illustration by Eleanor Plaisted Abbott