Treasure Island: The Original 1883 Edition With Complete Illustrations (A Robert Louis Stevenson Classic Novel)

"Treasure Island" has traditionally been called a "boys' adventure story," but that description now needs amending to eliminate its 'sexist' slant. Let's just call the novel a "great adventure story"--one that will appeal to almost anyone who enjoys reading about, well, adventures. True, the story is a bit short of female characters: There's only one, Jim Hawkins's mother, and she is left behind (literally) early on in the narrative. From that point on, "Treasure Island" is exclusively a tale of a boy's adventures in a man's world. This may lessen its appeal for very young girls, but the way the story is told, and the language it is told in, has guaranteed it a wide and varied readership down through the years. The story is narrated by Jim Hawkins, who seems to be about Huck Finn's age, as well as his equal in the ability to intuit adult character and motivation. But whereas Huck narrates his tale in his own vernacular version of English, Jim Hawkins sticks strictly to the 'King's English', which makes his story more available to the older, more sophisticated reader--and somewhat less so to the younger, less well-read one. (Of course, Huck Finn's vernacular English poses differing problems for both the older and younger reader too.) In my own case, I first read "Treasure Island" when I was under 10 years old. I loved the story, but I must have struggled at times with the language in which it was written (although I have no recollection of doing so). Nor do I have any recollection of being unduly affected (i.e., traumatized) by the numerous acts of violence and other instances of man's inhumanity to man that occur in both "Treasure Island" and "Huckleberry Finn." Could it be that young readers, like these young narrators, possess the wherewithal to "process" such acts without incurring lasting psychological damage? At any rate, it seems so to me. One last note on the edition of "Treasure Island" I am reviewing here. It is a facsimile, published by Simon and Schuster under the Atheneum Books for Young Readers logo, of their 1911 edition and contains N. C. Wyeth's famous illustrations to that edition. These illustrations alone are worth the price of the whole book, and then some.

This was my first time around with "Treasure Island" and I must say it was a well written novel with plenty of action, plot, suspense, and thrill! Long John Silver was a well developed character and really defines the moral struggles of mankind. The outright greed at first and then the ultimate fate he was to endure at the end of the story (no spoilers) was written in a way that I could identify with. Jim was such a strong and courageous character that doesn't seem to avoid confrontation that he keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire book. A few times during the thick of the plot, I actually gasped aloud thinking it may be the end! Altogether, this was a very good and easy read. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a classic sea/pirate/adventure novel and with the lack of foul language it is deemed appropriate for all ages.

Much of what we know today about pirates in the 1700s came from Robert Louis Stevenson's research and his work in the well loved children's classic, Treasure Island. Robert Louis Stevenson, author of dozens of books, short stories, and poems, is most well known for Treasure Island, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and A Child’s Garden of Verses. The versatility he displayed in his writing genres was amazing. Robert was born in 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland to Thomas and Margaret Stevenson. As a child he was very ill and spent much of his time reading. Robert attempted to follow his father’s profession, and at age 17, attended school to become an engineer. He soon learned that he neither had the mathematical skills nor the desire for this and that he simply wanted to write. At his parents’ request he continued his education and earned a law degree and by age 25, passed the bar examinations. His health declined after this, however, and he began traveling in hope of finding a more suitable climate, writing articles as he traveled. On one of his voyages he met his future wife, Fanny Osborne. His first success as a novelist was Treasure Island, which was originally published as a series in the children’s magazine, Young Folks in 1881-1882. He later went on to write several other novels including Kidnapped (a historical adventure) and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde which was inspired by a nightmare. In 1890 Stevenson and his wife and stepson moved to an island in Samoa where he wrote and worked among the natives until his death. At the age of 44 Stevenson suddenly grew ill one night and died, most likely of a brain hemorrhage. He was buried as he had requested on Mt. Vaea above his Samoan Island home. A tale of high adventure set in the eighteenth century by Robert Louis Stevenson, and his first published novel, Treasure Island is the story of a brave boy who sets off with an assorted cast of characters on a quest for buried treasure. When the story opens, Jim Hawkins lives with his parents who own and run the Admiral Benbow Inn near an unidentified British seashore. The arrival of Billy Bones the pirate changes their lives, first causing Jim’s father’s health to fail and leaving Jim and his mother to run the inn, and eventually sending Jim’s father to an early death. Soon afterwards, the arrival of another pirate to deliver the “black spot” (a death warning) to Billy Bones changes their lives even more. In fear and with a heart weakened from his rough lifestyle, Billy dies almost immediately, leaving a huge debt for his lengthy stay at the Admiral Benbow. Knowing other pirates are soon to come to the inn to claim Billy’s possessions, Mrs. Hawkins refuses to leave until she has taken enough from Billy’s sea chest to square the debt. With pirates on their trail, Mrs. Hawkins and Jim escape from the inn with a map from Billy’s sea chest. Jim and Mrs. Hawkins get help from Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney who identify the map as genuine. The squire goes to Bristol to find a ship and crew and put together a voyage for Treasure Island. His lack of discretion, however, regarding the quest for hidden treasure attracts a crew of pirates, though at the onset of the voyage, their true identity is unknown to the squire, Dr. Livesey, or Jim. During the voyage Jim overhears a conversation which reveals the crew’s true identity and, by the time they reach the island, the pirates have mutinied. Their leader turns out to be Long John Silver himself, the one-legged man Billy Bones most feared. A castaway named Ben Gunn is found on the island and befriended by Jim. With Ben’s aid through his knowledge of the island, Jim and his friends find the treasure and defeat the dreaded pirates.

My 8 year old finished the book in 2 days!!

Un clásico y a muy buen precio. Además, en su idioma original.

Ho acquistato questa edizione di Treasure Island (L'Isola del Tesoro) per uno studente che sta imparando l'inglese, e devo dire che si è rivelata una scelta estremamente azzeccata! Il libro è chiaramente pensato per chi si approccia alla lingua, con un linguaggio reso accessibile ma senza snaturare la magia della storia originale di Robert Louis Stevenson. Il vero punto di forza, però, sono gli esercizi posti alla fine di ogni capitolo. Non sono semplici domande di comprensione, ma attività ben strutturate che hanno permesso allo studente di sedimentare efficacemente la storia, rafforzare il lessico e la grammatica contestuale. Questo approccio ha reso la lettura non solo piacevole, ma anche un vero e proprio percorso di apprendimento attivo. È stato possibile verificare la comprensione dei dettagli man mano che la trama si sviluppava, consolidando così le nuove conoscenze. È un metodo eccellente per unire il piacere della lettura a un apprendimento linguistico mirato. Se cercate un libro avvincente e al contempo didattico per migliorare l'inglese, questa edizione di Treasure Island è vivamente consigliata!

Agradable formato

Produto de excelente qualidade, superou as expectativas e foi entregue antes do prazo. Parabéns