The Swiss Family Robinson: Or Adventures in a Desert Island

The Swiss Family Robinson tells the story of a Swiss family who are shipwrecked in the East Indies. First published in 1812, Johann David Wyss intended the novel to teach his sons family values and and self-reliance. The adventures in the book contain lessons in natural history and moral guidance, and include an impossible array of flora and fauna on a single island that the children use for their survival. The "Robinson" of the title refers not to the name of the family but to Robinson Crusoe, implying that they are a Swiss version of the Crusoe story.