The Swiss Family Robinson
Johann David Wyss
Read by Mark F. Smith
The Swiss Family Robinson has delighted generations of readers with its exciting tale of a family which, though shipwrecked, displays “the right stuff” and builds a charming colony that later, they do not want to leave. Cut off from the comforts and companionship of other humans, they use a familiarity with natural history and biology to find the resources and build the tools to construct a canoe, weave cloth, irrigate a garden, and turn an immense hollow tree into a lofty house with a spiral staircase. They domesticate buffaloes, wild asses, and monkeys. They establish farms and plantations. And finally, they have a terrifying encounter with natives from a nearby island.
Johann David Wyss, the author, did not live to complete his tale. Storytellers over the years have injected so many episodes into the various versions that probably none closely match the original. (Indeed, the Baroness de Montholieu expanded the book from two volumes into five when she translated it into French.) This effort was re-translated into English in 1849 by W.H.G. Kingston, abridging the edition severely. It follows the British sensibilities of the period in terms of sentence structure and emphasis. (Summary by Mark F. Smith) (0 hr 45 min)
Chapters
Chapter 01 | 18:47 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 02 | 21:19 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 03 | 18:04 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 04 | 15:01 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 05 | 9:51 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 06 | 6:43 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 07 | 9:06 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 08 | 10:02 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 09 | 9:57 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 10 | 9:10 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 11 | 19:14 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 12 | 10:49 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 13 | 10:24 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 14 | 12:22 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 15 | 12:44 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 16 | 11:02 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 17 | 13:13 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 18 | 9:09 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 19 | 8:39 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 20 | 17:35 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 21 | 14:57 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 22 | 13:36 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 23 | 12:08 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 24 | 11:34 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 25 | 13:49 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 26 | 18:38 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 27 | 24:01 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 28 | 12:34 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 29 | 17:09 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 30 | 9:19 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 31 | 9:35 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 32 | 15:16 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 33 | 12:48 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 34 | 12:53 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 35 | 14:17 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 36 | 12:31 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 37 | 14:16 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 38 | 18:59 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 39 | 19:05 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 40 | 18:51 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 41 | 13:30 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 42 | 14:14 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 43 | 9:44 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 44 | 19:30 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 45 | 11:35 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 46 | 28:56 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 47 | 20:07 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 48 | 21:33 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 49 | 26:29 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 50 | 15:17 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 51 | 25:49 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Chapter 52 | 9:03 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Reviews
excellently read
Darlene Boda
heavy on santimonious words like "gluttony" and "idleness" and other pious phrases common of the time of writing, this is a wonderful, fanciful tale written by an obvious fan of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. Fan fic done right 😁
Clear, well-paced reading
cheeseandpickles
Thank you so much for this excellent reading. The ditction was perfect and the narrator was careful to take time to allow the words to perfectly communicate all the details in the text.
Terry J.
A wonderful reading. Viewed with modern eyes, the naivety of the author may cause the occasional chuckle or cringe, yet the story is a classic and very enjoyable.
A LibriVox Listener
I liked the book and the reader. I'll have to say though, I did miss not having the the pirates that are in the Disney movie version.
Thank you Mark Smith!
Cecily
I am so greatful for all the novels Mark Smith has volunteered. He does an amazing job! I only came across this book as many others simply because he is Narrating. I will be completing all of the books he has done. Highly recommended book and reader!! p.s. thanks for making my work days fly bye ;)
Abbie c
Very clever and I think that it was very clever how they used the things around them to survive on the island.👍🏼 I enjoyed it a lot.
Excellent reader, thanks Mark!
Christian Felker
This book is interesting, but sometimes too obvious to be a true account. Indeed a good book for young and older people.
Excellent story and terrific reading.
OphthoTom
Very enjoyable. More religious than I expected, which may be a negative for some people. The reader is once again outstanding.