During a holiday in his native Scotland, a tubercular and struggling writer and his step-son devised a map that led to imaginary treasure -- and enduring literature. Treasure Island, Stevenson's first full-length work of fiction, immediately secured his fame and, unlike sundry other "entertainments" of the period, continues to captivate readers of all ages.
The tale is told by an adventurous boy, Jim Hawkins, who spirits a treasure map away from the clutches of the menacing Blind Pew. Like his American soulmate Tom Sawyer, young Jim repeatedly disobeys the orders of his adult companions -- and by so doing always saves the day. Enlisting the help of Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney, Jim sets off in a hired ship in search of Captain Flint's buried treasure. Among the crew, however, is the treacherous Long John Silver, one of the great originals in English literature, who wants the treasure all to himself. This edition includes Stevenson's own essay about the composition of Treasure Island, written just before his death, and an intriguing Introduction by John Seelye that illuminates the reasons for the novel's continuing hold on the imagination.
