Gulliver's Travels

About This Book

This book is called Gulliver's Travels. It was written a long time ago by a man named Jonathan Swift. The book has two parts. Part One is called "A Voyage to Lilliput." Part Two is called "A Voyage to Brobdingnag." A voyage means a long trip, usually on a ship.

A Note From the Editor

This book came out a very long time ago, in 1726. The writer did not make it just for children. But children loved it anyway! They may not understand all the grown-up ideas hidden in the story. But they love the amazing adventures. The story takes readers to strange new worlds. There is a good lesson in these stories too. Even young readers can understand the lesson without anyone explaining it to them.

Kids enjoy this book almost like they enjoy Robinson Crusoe or a fairy tale. It has a simple story that sparks the imagination. Older readers enjoy it for a different reason — they notice the clever jokes hidden inside about grown-up problems, like politics.

Some old-fashioned spelling and word choices have been changed to make the story easier to read today. A few parts were left out because they would not be right for children. Some notes were added to explain hard or old words.

A Note From the First Publisher

The writer of these travels is Mr. Lemuel Gulliver. He is a good friend of mine. Mr. Gulliver got tired of curious people visiting him all the time. So he bought some land and a house near Newark, in a place called Nottinghamshire. That is where he was born. Now he lives there quietly, and his neighbors think well of him.

Before he moved, Mr. Gulliver gave me his papers. He told me I could do whatever I thought was best with them. I read them carefully three times. The writing is very plain and simple. My only complaint is that the author gives too many small details, the way travelers often do. But everything feels true. In fact, Mr. Gulliver was so honest that his neighbors used to say, "It's as true as if Mr. Gulliver said it," whenever they wanted to prove something was true.

Some wise friends told me to share these papers with the world. I hope they will be more fun to read than the usual boring writing about politics.

This book would be much longer if I had not cut out many boring parts — details about winds, tides, and the ship's directions. I also cut out technical sailor talk about steering the ship through storms. I wanted the book to be easy for everyone to enjoy. If I made small mistakes doing this, it is my fault, not Mr. Gulliver's. Anyone curious to see the full original story may ask me about it.

You can learn more about the author right at the start of the book.

— Richard Sympson

Chapter One

The author tells about himself and his family. He explains why he wanted to travel. His ship crashes, and he swims to save his life. He lands safely in a country called Lilliput. There, he is captured and taken away.

My father owned a small piece of land in Nottinghamshire. I was the third of his five sons.

When I was fourteen, my father sent me to a school called Emmanuel College, in Cambridge. I studied there for three years. I worked very hard at my lessons. But my father did not have much money, and it cost a lot to keep me there. So I became an apprentice — someone learning a skilled job by working closely with an expert. My teacher was Mr. James Bates, a well-known surgeon (a doctor who does operations) in London. I trained with him for four years.

My father sent me small amounts of money now and then. I used that money to study navigation — the skill of steering a ship — and other kinds of math useful for travelers. I always believed that someday I would travel the world.

When I finished training with Mr. Bates, I went home to my father. With help from him, my Uncle John, and other family members, I collected forty pounds of money. I was also promised thirty pounds every year to help pay for school in a city called Leyden. There, I studied medicine for two years and seven months. I knew medicine would help me on long sea voyages.

Soon after I came back from Leyden, my kind teacher Mr. Bates helped me get a job. I became the ship's surgeon on a ship called the "Swallow." The captain was Abraham Pannell. I worked on that ship for three and a half years. We sailed to a place called the Levant, and other areas too.

When I returned, I decided to settle down in London. Mr. Bates encouraged this and introduced me to several patients. I rented part of a small house...