Swift and Defoe

Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe are remembered today for the early novels, Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, and Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. These eighteenth century writers were prodigious writers in many fields.

When Monash University began in 1961, one of the earliest major purchases was of a collection of Swift items. The Library has continued to add early editions and manuscripts to the Swift collection and material relating to Swift’s contemporaries, of whom the greatest is Daniel Defoe.

This collection has been a major attraction for researchers in the area, in particular, Professor Clive Probyn of the School of English, Communications and Performance Studies at Monash.

Exhibition opening: An opening speech was given by Professor Clive Probyn, School of English, Communications and Performance Studies, Faculty of Arts.
Curator: Richard Overell, Rare Books Librarian.
When: Wednesday 10th June 2009
Where: Level 1, ISB wing, Sir Louis Matheson Library, Clayton campus.

Catalogues are available from Rare Books Assistant, Lorraine David.