Book Description

The book consists of a series of discussions of the prose fiction of Robert Louis Stevenson, from his first book, New Arabian Nights, to the last short novel published in his lifetime, The Ebb-Tide. All his best-known novels are covered, as well as a selection of his lesser-known works. The focus is on the works themselves, rather than on Stevenson's admittedly fascinating life, which is touched on only so as to provide a context for his writing. It is arranged by the dates when the works were written, rather than when they were published, so as to provide an outline sketch of his career as a writer. The emphasis is on the diversity and energy of Stevenson's creativity, without seeking to overemphasize distinctions frequently applied to him in the past, such as that between his 'stories for boys' and books apparently written for adults.