Books

First edition thus: illustrated with twelve tipped-in colour plates by John Cameron. Royal octavo. pp viii, 340. Each plate has a captioned tissue guard and there are also illustrations in the text. Pictorial endpapers. Full vellum binding with gilt decoration. Top edge gilt. Number 8 of 250 copies.One the verso of the front free endpaper is a contemporary (1915) gift inscription to a member of staff of Taplow Grammar School. Covers slightly dusty. Tail of spine rubbed and darkened. Very good indeed.

Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of 'buccaneers and buried gold.' It was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881 and 1882 under the title 'Treasure Island or, the mutiny of the Hispaniola', with Stevenson adopting the pseudonym Captain George North. Traditionally considered a coming-of-age story, it is an adventure tale known for its atmosphere, characters, and action. It is also noted as a wily critique of the ambiguity of morality—as seen in Long John Silver—unusual for children's literature. It is one of the most frequently dramatized of all novels. The influence of Treasure Island on popular perceptions of pirates is enormous, including such elements as treasure maps marked with an 'X', schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen bearing parrots on their shoulders.