Well....it's a curious book. DeFoe is supposed to have only written one great book in his life....the rest are just pushed aside. I've been picking up several of the other books and now come to disagree....most all of them...are good reads.
I should note....this book (published in 1726) was updated a hundred years later (1839) with some better footnotes and fresher material (long after DeFoe died).
The English Tradesman is a book which DeFoe goes to educate the English on craftsman skills. Yes, it's the first book written over business and how to be a complete tradesman or businessman in the world.
Chapter by chapter....he lays out the various skills that you require. From writing in a concise way....to being pleasant but firm in your attitude. Stories of a personal nature are thrown into the mix, and make for better reading material.
If you were taking a college business section.....needing to write a report on skills of the tradesman in the 1700s...compared to today, this would make an excellent platform to base the paper upon. In essence....nothing much has changed in 300 years. Craftsman today....need basically the same skills as they needed in the old days.
Simplified book....easily read over a weekend. Not complex.....and certainly written in a easy format. I'd recommend it for the 16-to-20 year old crowd....in the midst of a high school project or college course on business.
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