A mysterious visitor to his parent’s inn precipitates a chain of events that plunges Jim Hawkins into an unforgettable adventure among ruthless pirates seeking a fabulous treasure hidden on a desert island.
Initially serialized in a magazine,
Treasure Island
first appeared as a book in 1883. Narrated primarily by young Jim Hawkins, the book can be seen as a coming of age story or a thriller for younger readers, but it is a swashbuckling delight for most anyone willing to pick it up. One of the central pleasures of the book is the indelible character of Long John Silver. Manipulative, self-centered, and greedy enough to be purely a villain, he proves such an engaging character that it is hard to feel much ill will toward him. With his missing leg, parrot, and treasure map, Silver is the forefather of countless fictional pirates of prose and film.
is, arguably, both the genesis and zenith of the pirate adventure story. The novel has been repeatedly adapted to stage, radio, film and television. First filmed in 1918,
has been the subject of more than fifty movies and has been translated into science fiction, western, anime and a feature for Jim Henson’s Muppets. All of this springs from the enduring base of Stevenson’s original novel. This is pure storytelling at its most ageless, powerful and beguiling.
With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of
is both modern and readable.