The Swiss Family Robinson: A Translation from the Original German
1812
The Swiss Family Robinson: A Translation from the Original German
1812
Translated by William Henry Giles Kingston
A shipwreck strands a Swiss pastor and his four sons on a deserted island in the East Indies, launching what would become one of the most beloved survival adventures in literary history. Far from a mere tale of hardship, the novel bursts with inventive problem-solving: the family harvests the wrecked vessel piece by piece, constructing an arboreal fortress, cultivating crops, taming wild goats, and discovering the island's hidden wonders. The father serves as gentle architect of this new world, turning every obstacle into a lesson and every discovery into a shared wonder. What elevates the story beyond adventure is its deep current of familial love, the sons bickering and collaborating, the father balancing instruction with encouragement, hope flickering even in the storm's darkest hour. Wyss wrote it for his own children in 1812, embedding his faith in reason and resilience into every page. Two centuries later, it remains a celebration of human ingenuity and the bonds that hold families together when everything else is lost.
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“It was one of those happy days that God grants us sometimes on earth to give us an idea of the bliss of heaven.””
— Johann David Wyss
“I shall be satisfied if young people who read this record of our lives and adventures should learn from it how admirably suited is the peaceful, industrious life of a cheerful and united family to the formation of strong, pure, and manly character.””
— Johann David Wyss
“The monkeys seized all the cocoanuts within their reach and sent them down upon us””
— Johann David Wyss
“If it be the will of God," said my wife, "to leave us alone on this solitary place, let us be content; and rejoice that we are all together in safety.””
— Johann David Wyss
“A noble mind finds its purest joy in the accomplishment of its duty, and to that willingly sacrifices its inclination.””
— Johann David Wyss
“Let us not disdain the ass,””
— Johann David Wyss
“You know God helps those that help themselves!””
— Johann David Wyss
“But in reality, the more there was to do the better; and I never ceased contriving fresh improvements, being fully aware of the importance of constant employment as a means of strengthening and maintaining the health of mind and body. This, indeed, with a consciousness of continual progress toward a desirable end, is found to constitute the main element of happiness. Our””
— Johann David Wyss
“We at length, when we had captured as many fish as we could possibly utilize, set about cleaning and preparing their flesh. Some we salted, some we dried like the herrings, some we treated like the tunny of the Mediterranean”
— Johann David Wyss
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Wyss, Johann David. The Swiss Family Robinson: A Translation from the Original German. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-swiss-family-robinson-a-translation-from-the-original-german-15684533-bfef-4930-9a15-6ee2353fbd83.Wyss, J. D. (1812). The Swiss Family Robinson: A Translation from the Original German. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-swiss-family-robinson-a-translation-from-the-original-german-15684533-bfef-4930-9a15-6ee2353fbd83Wyss, Johann David. The Swiss Family Robinson: A Translation from the Original German. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-swiss-family-robinson-a-translation-from-the-original-german-15684533-bfef-4930-9a15-6ee2353fbd83.
