Treasure Island

by Stevenson, Robert Louis; Dillard, R. H. W.

• ISBN13: 9780451527042
• ISBN10: 0451527046
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-12-01
• Publisher: Signet Classics

Summary

For sheer storytelling delight and pure adventure, Treasure Island has never been surpassed. From young Jim Hawkin's first encounter with the sinister Blind Pew to the climactic battle with the most memorable villain in literature, Long John Silver, this novel has fired readers' imaginations for generations. More than a rousing tale of treachery, greed, and daring, Treasure Island is, in the words of G. K. Chesterton, "the realisation of an ideal, that which is promised in its provocative and beckoning map; a vision not only of white skeletons but also green palm trees and sapphire seas." Original and thoroughly engaging, Treasure Island continues to appeal to young and old alike. A new introduction by R.H.W. Dillard offers a modern perspective on the timeless themes of this classic story, illuminating its relevance to today's readers.

Author Biography

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was born in Edinburgh. In the brief span of forty-four years, dogged by poor health, he made an enormous contribution to English literature with his novels, poetry, and essays. The son of upper-middle-class parents, he was the victim of lung trouble from birth, and spent a sheltered childhood surrounded by constant care. The balance of his life was taken up with his unremitting devotion to work, and a search for a cure to his illness that took him all over the world. His travel essays were publihsed widely, and his short fiction was gathered in many volumes. His first full-length work of fiction, Treasure Island, was published in 1883 and brought him great fame, which only increased with the publication of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). He followed with the Scottish romances Kidnapped (1886) and The Master of Ballantrae (1889). In 1888 he set out with his family for the South Seas, traveling to the leper colony at Molokai, and finally settling in Samoa, where he died.