An Essay Upon Projects

Daniel Defoe's Essay upon Projects bursts with the energy of a writer who saw public hardship as a problem to be solved, not merely lamented. Shaped by a life of business, political risk, bankruptcy, and resilience, Defoe brings practical experience to a vivid, reform-minded vision of England's needs. Framed as an age of war, trade, invention, and speculation, the book distinguishes honest enterprise from empty schemes while arguing that necessity has made "projecting" unavoidable. Defoe proposes a series of public reforms: fairer taxation through a rigorous reassessment of wealth, relief for the poor, support for widows and bankrupts, and the registration and payment of seamen to strengthen both revenue and national defense. He attacks tax fraud and the burden placed on laborers and small traders, warning that a nation cannot endure if the rich evade their share. At the heart of the work are bold plans for mutual aid and social insurance, especially a public pension office funded by small contributions. With careful "political arithmetic," Defoe shows how such a system could support the injured, elderly, and impoverished, turning poverty relief into an organized, humane public institution. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.