The Swiss Family Robinson or, Adventures on a Desert Island Kindle Edition

The Swiss Family Robinson  was initially written in German by Swiss author Johann Wyss in 1812, and then soon after an accurate English translation was completed by William Godwin in 1816. The Godwin translation remained the standard in English for a generation or two, but by the mid-19th century the number and variety of English translations began to multiply - there were no enforceable copyright laws and translators freely added episodes, changed names (and even genders) of some of the characters and cut portions of the text to conform to changing views on education and aesthetic tastes. There are probably over a dozen such variations and most who read the novel today are not reading the original (the 2007 Penguin Classics edition, edited by John Seelye, is the 1816 Godwin translation, which is the closest to the original). I have now read two: William Kingston's 1879 adaptation (one of the more common adaptations) and Godwin, and I believe the original translation of Wyss by Godwin is better. It's not abridged like most later versions so certain scenes just make more sense - for example some of the characters are more dynamic, like Ernest shows himself to be a capable bloodthirsty killer like his brothers (a scene cut from later editions to maintain his "bookish" nature) - and the theories on education are classic Rousseauian (he is mentioned twice in the narrative).This isn't your childhood Swiss family. Godwin's 1816 translation has rarely been in print until recently - most versions floating around are some variation of Isabelle de Montolieu's 1824 French adaptation ( William H. G. Kingston's 1879 English translation  of Montolieu's French adaption is probably the most common). In Montolieu/Kingston's version, the original ~400 page that Wyss wrote has been abridged to about 150 pages, with an additional 150 pages or so of new material added to the end (with an entirely different ending, new characters, etc). So if you've read Swiss family as a child, and are looking for an "unabridged" version, you may find Godwin's 1816 translation missing a lot of material - simply because Wyss never wrote it in the first place.What version to read? I would say Montolieu/Kingston's version (and others) are more "kid friendly" mainly because the Godwin translation is from 1816 and as such uses some language that is dated and has passages that would probably be boring or not make sense without historical context. So in a way there is no "right" version since most readers for the past 150 years have not been reading the "original" anyway. I would probably recommend the Montolieu/Kingston version for juvenile readers and the Godwin version for adults - or even better, read all of Godwin plus the second half of Montolieu/Kingston which is all new material, the first half just being an abridged version of Godwin.In the end I enjoyed the novel for what it is - a great adventure and inspiring family story. Many classic stories are challenging and interesting but not always "fun" - this one is just a great story and fun to read. It's even more fun knowing there are is a whole world of alternative versions available, with more adventures and different endings, but I'm glad to have read the original as it was written by Wyss (and his sons).

This has long been one of my favorite books, and now I'm sharing it with my two daughters. The Kindle formats aren't always my favorites but this is a good one in my opinion. Sometimes the illustrations look a little hinky, but overall it's nice to have some pictures to look at to complement this wonderful story. I have always loved their adventures but now as a parent, I find myself enjoying the family dynamics even more. It is very quaint, charming and I find particular inspiration in the way the father instructs, encourages and equips his sons, while also honoring his wife. I found myself learning from him as a parent - considering more when to pull back and let my kids make mistakes and learn from them, and when to offer guidance and instruction. I felt inspired to equip my kids much more in life skills and even some survival skills. The author created a wonderful picture of a close-knit family raising children to be kind, honest, respectful and very self-sufficient while still having great fun together. They definitely take what could be a challenging and scary situation and make more than the best of it. Imagine that! Enjoy!

Well conceived story. Quite an adventure story. Well suited for 12 yr and up. Easy to follow, characters you root for.

I am 12 years old and I have just finished an exiting survival book called The Swiss Family Robinson. Johann Wyss originally wrote the story in the early 1800s. This book is filled with adventure, sorrow, and more! A family becomes shipwrecked on a deserted island, but they get many items from their ship including guns, ammunition, animals, and other items. They survive and thrive on this lush island, filled with everything else they need.In the beginning, a violent storm shipwrecks this family of six on two rocks near an island. The father devises a plan to get them off the ship and onto the island. Another exiting event is later, when they have become accustomed to the island, they decide to tie the heavy items left on the partially sunken ship to barrels and blow up the ship, to make the heavy items float to shore. Sadly, one day, while walking their animals, an enormous snake appeared and ate their donkey. They used this opportunity to kill the snake, but their poor donkey Grizzle was dead.If you like adventure and survival, this is a great book for you. Will the family survive? Will they ever get back to civilization? Find out by reading this book!

It is a hard read for an environmentally conscious person like me. How they easily killed turtles (big one!) and other animals as easy as that while the family has been so abundance with food! I understand this book was from another century, but it is still a hard read.I can't survive reading it.

Item as expected.

Fine historical review of castaways accomplishments and trials. It even has a happy ending as additional family and friends arrive to lay the foundation for growth.

My 10 year old boy, an advanced reader, who enjoys adventure, said this was a fantastic book and one of the best he's ever read. The language is a bit old fashioned at times and more challenging than modern children's books, but that's not a bad thing.

Sebbene in passato godesse di buona fama, negli ultimi tempi questo romanzo non viene più tradotto, quelle poche traduzioni risultano estremamente ridotte, scorciate rispetto all'originale. Si tratta del romanzo da cui è stato tratto l'anime Flo, la piccola Robinson. Interessante.

Exactamente el libro que esperaba, perfecto para el nivel indicado que dicen, a mi hija le ha encantado, super chulo

Very good quality book