This classic story of a Swiss family - pastor, wife and four sons -shipwreaked on an uninhabited island (most fortunately blessed with an unlikely profusion of natural resources) was written by a Swiss army chaplain for the entertainment of his own four sons.

The family adventures in survival; also provided a useful starting point for lessons in natural history.

First published in Zurich in 1812-13, the story was translated into French and English shortly afterwards and has appeared in many versions ever since.

When, in 1909, the American artist Louis John Rhead was invited to illustrate the Robinson's adventures, he based his numerous drawings on 'sketches made in the tropics. '