It was first published separately as a pamphlet without any reference to Drelincourt.

It was not printed with Drelincourt's _Fear of Death_ till the fourth edition of that work, which was already popular.

Further, the sale of Drelincourt does not appear to have been increased by the addition of Defoe's pamphlet to the book, and of Mrs.Veal's recommendation to the pamphlet.] Defoe's novel-writing thus grew naturally out of his general literary trade, and had not a little in common with the rest of his abundant stock.

All his productions in this line, his masterpiece, _Robinson Crusoe_, as well as what Charles Lamb calls his "secondary novels," _Captain Singleton_, _Colonel Jack_, _Moll Flanders_, and _Roxana_, were manufactured from material for which he had ascertained that there was a market; the only novelty lay in the mode of preparation.

From writing biographies with real names attached to them, it was but a short step to writing biographies with fictitious names.