Book excerpt: The Shipwreck Collection includes four novels: Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels, Treasure Island, and The Island of Doctor Moreau. Robinson Crusoe follows the sole survivor of a shipwreck on a deserted island. Confronted by hunger and the elements, Crusoe builds a home, grows crops, tames wild animals, and survives cannibals and mutineers. Gulliver's Travels shows how one man can be shipwrecked, then abandoned, then attacked by strangers, then attacked by his own crew. Gulliver believes what he is told, never perceives deeper meanings, is an honest man, and expects others to be honest. Treasure Island follows the adventures of a cabin boy named Jim Hawkins. Hawkins is in for the adventure of a lifetime, as he braves dangerous waters, lives through a mutiny, and searches for buried treasure. In The Island of Dr Moreau Edward Prendick finds himself shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean, but is soon rescued by a passing boat. He is taken to the island home of Doctor Moreau, who creates human-like hybrid beings from animals.