The Swiss Family Robinson is a novel by Johann David Wyss, rst published in 1812, about a Swiss family shipwrecked in the East Indies en route to Port Jackson, Australia. Upon reaching the island, the family set up a makeshift camp. The father knows that they must prepare for a long time on the island and his thoughts are as much on provisions for the future as for their immediate wants. The book covers more than ten years. The father and older boys explore various environments and develop homes and gardens in various sites about the island. At the end, the father wonders if they will ever...