Treasure Island (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson - Fiction

The most classic of classic Adventure stories.

One of the many cover pages of this classic tale

Treasure Island is the undisputed original pirate adventure story. The first and most prominent story to shape our modern understanding of everything pirate related. And don’t forget the big ticket revenue items like Long John Silver’s restaurant chain, the Las Vegas hotel, and multiple Disney movies. Its pop cultural influence is ubiquitous. But how many people nowadays actually read cover-to-cover Robert Louis Stevenson’s original book? Or is it a fossil relegated to nostalgia only to peep out in silly pop culture caricatures now? I argue that we should dig this classic adventure story out of the deep sea and read it! 

Robert Lewis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1850. He was a sickly child and struggled most of life with a variety of illnesses. Sadly, he passed away at the early age of 44. Known for being jovial and magnanimous, he was well-liked and respected by probably everyone who knew him. He didn’t quite fit in with his stuffy Victorian era acquaintances, so he traveled widely around Europe and even the South Pacific to Samoa. His poem Travel captures some of this wandering joy: 

I should like to rise and go

Where the golden apples grow;—

Where below another sky

Parrot islands anchored lie,

And, watched by cockatoos and goats,

Lonely Crusoes building boats;— …

Treasure Island was his first novel. And it was a smash hit. Like tweens did back in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean I imagine young ones in the 1880s reenacting harrowing scenes and mimicking the distinctive voices of Treasure Island characters. You may have a vague notion of the plot and main characters if you’ve never even cracked the cover. There is the twelve year old protagonist Jim Hawkins, the slippery pirate Long John Silver, his trusty parrot Captain Flint, the disciplined Captain Smollett, the duty-bound doctor Dr. Livesy, and a handful of other pirates with fun names like Billy Bones and Black Dog. 

Jim Hawkins is swept up in the pirate drama when a crusty old sailor aptly named “Captain” shows up at Jim’s family-run Benbow Inn located in a rocky British coastal town. Jim catches on that there’s something shady about this rum-loving sailor, but Jim’s tender-hearted nature trusts him anyways. Not long after this some even shadier sailors show up looking for the “Captain” and some treasure he’s supposedly hiding. One blind sailor is especially ruthless, and one thing leads to another and soon we have two dead men. Then there’s the discovery of a secretive accounting book documenting gold, jewels, and other exotic valuables all collected together in one….you guessed it…one treasure chest! And along with the book is the most iconic item–a treasure map. Because Jim is already in-the-know he’s asked to join a crew of sailors in search of the treasure.  

What follows is true swashbuckling fun. Pirate mutiny, sword fights, gun battles, boat thievery, an island marooned wild man, pirate parties, rum and more rum, salted pork, creepy skeletons, wooden legs, and oh so much more. It’s the epitome of adventure. Divulging into too many details would spoil the fun. But one spotlight must be shined upon the king of the show: The crafty cook and captain Long John Silver! Jim Hawkins is the protagonist, and we root for him the entire way through his dangerous perils. But Silver is the king of the seas. You know Disney was looking right at him when they whipped up Captain Jack Sparrow. Not quite as loopy as Jack Sparrow, but just as slippery and even more tricky is Silver. And although he’s a liar, thief, and murderer he’s just so damn lovable. He swoons Jim Hawkins and just about everyone else until he gets his loot. 

Stevenson would have been knowledgeable of real historical pirates. They were legends of the 1700s and probably into the 1800s too. A General History of Pyrates (1724) was likely Stevenson’s primary source text. Written under a pseudonym, no one actually knows who wrote it. But we do know it’s mostly based on information gathered from newspaper stories and English court trials from the early 1700s. As tradition goes, Stevenson’s step-son, Lloyd Osborn, was the main inspiration of Treasure Island. He drew maps and gave names to places like Skeleton Island. Lloyd worked with his step-father to create the setting and characters. Soon after writing each chapter Stevenson was said to have read to his family each new chapter in a dramatic fashion, embodying each character’s uniqueness. He listened to his family’s suggestions and made refinements. It’s believed that Lloyd encouraged him only to include male characters. In fact, the only female is Jim’s mother who only appears in the first few chapters (I never said this book was woke).

I’d like to say that everyone will immediately like this book. But that would be a lie, and I’m no pirate, so I don’t often lie. Most people, young and old alike, would thoroughly enjoy the fun adventure and mystery aspects. But readers will notice that the nearly 150 year old vernacular language of Treasure Island  sounds slightly antiquated to our modern ears. And it would l be helpful to have a quick reference guide to Sailing Terms (I never knew what a forecastle, gig, or coxswain were before). And Stevenson had the right idea to read each chapter out-loud. Reading pirate dialogue can feel like being tossed around in a paddle boat on the raging seas. But I noticed if I read it out-loud, and tapped a little bit into a Jack Sparrow kind of mode, it actually made it easier to understand!

If you’re looking for a true adventure story and don’t mind the challenge of a little pirate jargon pick up Treasure Island. You can find it in basically every used bookstore across the Western world for 50 cents.