Originally written to entertain his four young sons, Johann David Wyss based <i>The Swiss Family Robinson</i> on Daniel Defoe's classic shipwreck story, <i>Robinson Crusoe</i> (1719). Upon its initial publication in 1812, <i>The Swiss Family Robinson</i> was received with great enthusiasm not only as a first-rate adventure story, but also as a practical guide to self-sufficiency.