The famous French writer Jules Verne (1828–1905), in an address to the reader of this book, referring to the many “literary followers” of Robinson Crusoe, explained the purpose of creating his novel in this way: “It seemed to me that in order to complete all these Robinsonades, it remains to show a group of children abandoned on the island fighting for their existence, in a word, a whole boarding school of Robinsons.
... The Richmond boarding house in Auckland, New Zealand, is a typical English institution for boys, where the children of European colonists study. Fifteen pupils of the boarding school, aged from eight to fourteen, were going to spend their holidays on a sea voyage. Suddenly, the children are left alone on a drifting ship; a storm takes the yacht out to sea, and they end up on a desert island in the Pacific Ocean.
The harsh nature of the island, wild animals, cruel robbers - what difficulties and dangers young travelers had to face!
However, the courage, perseverance, ingenuity and cohesion of the boys allowed them to hold out for two years on a wild island, endure the most difficult trials, overcome all sorts of hardships, survive in deadly situations and, in the end, safely return to their homeland.
Author: Jules Verne
Illustrations: Leon Benett
Translation: E. Kiselev
Pages: 304 (offset). Hard cover
Dimensions: 145x215 mm
