Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
Classic Book: The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Volume 25 (Swanston Edition) by Robert Louis Stevenson

********************************************************** We are pleased to offer thousands of books for the Kindle, including thousands of hard-to-find literature and classic fiction books.
Click on our Editor Name (eBook-Ventures) next to the book title above to view all of the titles that are currently available.
**********************************************************
... Read more

Product Description
Short excerpt: The trades blew strong and squally; the surf roared loud on the shingle beach; and the fifty-ton schooner of war, that carries the flag and influence of France about the islands of the cannibal group, rolled at her moorings under Prison Hill. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Hidden Treasure
In the epilogue of the lost classic, The Wrecker, besides explaining what became of his characters, Robert Louis Stevenson (along with Osbourne, his stepson) deigns to explain his work, or rather his fictitious author's work, as something of a new form: the literary crime novel. By this he means the story starts out as a sort of novel of manners, chronicling the early life and experiences in the "money hunt" of the main characters, then finishes with a flourish of enthralling crime on the high seas. In approaching the novel in this style, the author hopes to lessen the "insincerity and shallowness of tone" of the common "police" novel and make the "mystery seem to inhere in life". But later, regarding this technique, he confesses: "it occurred to us it had been invented previously by someone else, and was in fact - however painfully different the results may seem - the method of Charles Dickens in his later works."


The results in question indeed deliver a painfully good story. This is the tale of an aspiring young sculptor, Loudon Dodd. He is the son of a land surveyor turned real estate speculator; an unhappy man as Dodd puts it, unhappy in life, in business, and sorry to say, unhappy with his son. Dodd goes on to relate his experiences in college, both home in Muskegon and abroad in Paris; his close, bittersweet relationship with his father; his attempt to become an artisan, sculpting and scraping by; and of the bond that develops between him and his schoolmate in Paris, Pinkerton. Later, back in the states, he and Pinkerton, become business partners. In a scheme for some quick money, they wind up buying a shipwreck rumored to have cloaked value. Lloyds of London routinely held auctions for such wrecks (Brigs, Schooners, etc...) that had been ravaged by the weather, on the reefs or by other unfortunate means. Stevenson's auction is a fine piece of writing, and it is at this point in the book that the story gets lift. Dodd subsequently rounds up a ship and a crew and sets sail for Midway Island, the site of their newly purchased wrecker. Sea dogs, the south Pacific, and hidden treasure all conspire to enlist the reader in the remainder of Stevenson's wonderful adventure. Though it doesn't come without a cost. Lust for wealth, which becomes nearly ubiquitous, is clearly the demon seed of this cautionary tale.


Interestingly, The Wrecker was a favorite of the Argentine poet and essayist Jose Luis Borges, who couldn't have written more differently than Stevenson, but who nonetheless returned to the text more often than any other. Borges' obsession with The Wrecker is examined in a recent NY Times article. by Rivka Galchen. But I have my own theory why Borges enjoyed this work so much: the hidden treasure within.


~Book Jones~ 4.5 Stars ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic features:

*The complete tale of the classic novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

*More than 200 vocabulary words frequently tested on the SAT highlighted throughout the text

*Definitions for each highlighted word on the facing page

*A word-pronunciation guide

*An index for easy reference ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Book
My son's teacher recommended this version of the book and I am so pleased that we went with it. I particularly like the emphasis on the vocabulary words, with definition appearing on an opposite page in relation to where they actually appear in the text.No matter how many times parents or teachers emphasize looking up an unknown word, many students do not do it. In a way this format helps and forces the students to learn the vocabulary that may appear on the SAT's.I hope more stories are published in such a manner.

Nice way to learn new vocab
The only suggestion I would make is that Kaplan incorporates the "underlined" words in the main text as well, the same way it incorporates the "bolded" words.It gets annoying to have to flip to the back every time you encounter an "underlined" word with which you are not familiar.A little too advanced for my 9-year-old although she did manage to finish it (with a bit of prodding).It would be great and highly entertaining for high school students. ... Read more

Product Description
Robert Louis Stevenson's short novel, Dr. Jekyll andMr. Hyde, first published in 1886, became an instant classic, a Gothic horror originating in a feverish nightmare whose hallucinatory setting in the back streets of London gripped a nation mesmerized by crime and violence.Its revelatory ending is one of the most original and thrilling in English Literature. This new edition of Stevenson's most famous work includes three additional short stories, two short essays, and extracts from contemporary writing on psychological disorders.The introduction considers the reasons for the book's popularity, "the double," and psychoanalytic interpretations, as well as crime, sex, class, and urbanism in the 1880s.Appendixes provide contextual historical material by Henry Maudsley, Frederic Myers, and W.T. Stead. This edition also provides an up-to-date bibliography and full notes, including details of the initial responses of Stevenson's contemporaries, such as John Addington Symonds, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Rider Haggard. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good condition-good buy
A good purchase for home schooling- product is in great condition.Have yet to read the book.

Interesting, yet unfortunately out-dated concept
Although an interesting read, the story did not age well with time due its popularity and how familiar many are to the ending twist. One of the most well known stories in English literature, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" delves into the duality of man - of good and evil - in a fascinating, hocus-pocus sort of way.

B-
"I who sicken and freeze at the mere thought of him...when I know how he fears my power to cut him off by suicide, I find it in my heart to pity him." This quote comes at the end of the novella, when the crux of Stevenson's point comes to a head. It is at this point when madness and reason - the forms of Hyde and Jekyll, respectively - are completely separated, and Hyde threatens to completely overtake Jekyll. It is in this last chapter that the core philosophy is revealed in all of its stunning originality. Leading up to this moment however, is an almost unremarkable detective story with stock characterizations. Albeit the imagery gives a foreboding tone ("The fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city, where the lamps glittered like carbuncles") and the narrative moves by briskly, the text as a whole isn't particularly remarkable. Truly, it is the last chapter that stands out the most, and the reader is finally able to get a glimpse of the pure evil that the story has been leading up to. Vague on details yet astute on human psychology, Stevenson has created a tale that resonates in its concept, not in its literary abilities.

A nice collection of RLS work
This book is a nice collection of Robert Louis Stevenson stories. Included is the main attraction, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," and the following short stories:

A Lodging for the Night
The Suicide Club
Thrawn Janet
The Body-Snatcher
Markeim

Obviously Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the selling point of this book. Stevenson crafts a wonderful tale of mystery surrounding a few characters in England. I truly wish that I never knew anything about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde prior to actually reading the book because I think that Stevenson did a spectacular job of keeping the mystery alive. Unfortunately, I already knew the relationship of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The other stories included are nice little additions to this book. I personally did not enjoy them that much; but, it is still nice to get a little bit more with this collection that just getting Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I found "Thrawn Janet" particularly interesting, almost thrilling. It is written in the old English dialect which made for more difficult reading, but a more cultural experience.

Also included in this edition is a nice timeline and of RLS's life and accomplishments. I found the introduction to be particularly intersting because it talks about the culture and the reactions to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, both the book and the play.

Overall, this is a nice book with a lot of extra information about RLS and his works. However, the short stories, in my opinion, are not worth buying this book only for the short stories. It is worth the entire collection though, with all the resources therein. ... Read more

Product Description
This title has fewer than 24 printed text pages. The Bull-Run Rout - Scenes Attending the First Clash of Volunteers in the Civil War is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Edward Henry Clement is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Edward Henry Clement then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson (1850-1894), was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov. Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon. Stevenson was a celebrity in his own time, but with the rise of modern literature after World War I, he was seen for much of the 20th century as a writer of the second class, relegated to children's literature and horror genres. His works include: An Inland Voyage (1878), Familiar Studies of Men and Books (1882), New Arabian Nights (1882), Kidnapped (1886), The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables (1887), Memories and Portraits (1887), Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin (1887), The Black Arrow (1888), and Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale (1889). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Web of Fantastic Tales Told By a Master
What an odd, wonderful book this is. Sometimes confusing but always absorbing, The Dynamiter (written by Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife, Fanny Van de Grift Stevenson) is neither a novel nor a collection of short stories, but rather a group of tales woven together with a very slender thread. The setting is London in the 1880's. Three bored, aimless, rather useless young men make an agreement among themselves that they will each take up the very next adventure that comes along. They go their separate ways and encounter various individuals who tell them fantastic tales - of vengeful Mormons in Utah ("Story of the Destroying Angel"), of voodoo terror in Cuba ("Story of the Fair Cuban"), of bomb-wielding anarchists in London ("Tale of the Explosive Bomb"), of an abandoned mansion where all sorts of mysterious people show up ("The Superfluous Mansion").

The tales are uniformly gripping, but none of them stand quite alone. Most, in fact, are put-ons, fantasies concocted by a small group of anti-English terrorists (they seem to be Irish, and refer to themselves as "patriots"), led by a man named Zero and a young woman who shows up in multiple exotic guises throughout the book. The mood is at times comic, terrifying, surreal. One of the themes, indeed, might be: what is reality?

Aside from the fine writing of the Stevensons, I found The Dynamiter very interesting for two reasons, First, the theme of terrorism: in our modern age of terrorism, it is easy to forget that the fanatic bomber is nothing new, that he goes back at least to Stevenson's time (the book was written in 1883 - it was apparently meant to reflect upon current events, and is dedicated to two courageous policemen, Cole and Cox). And second, it became obvious to me after reading just a little of The Dynamiter, that it was the model, in format and tone, for Arthur Machen's perverse, horrific masterpiece, The Three Impostors. If you are an admirer of that appalling classic, you will probably enjoy The Dynamiter. Fans of Sherlock Holmes might also like the book, set primarily in gas-lit London. ... Read more

Product Description
Since their first appearance in 1885, the rhymes of Robert Louis Stevenson have been charming children and adults alike. His joyful exploration of the world speaks directly from a child's point of view--a celebration of the imagination, excitement, and surprising practicality with which children approach life. Boats are made from back-bedroom chairs; palaces and temples constructed of blocks. There are poems about wind, rain, the beauty of stars, and the usefulness of shadows., Full of life and color, the delightful illustrations of Caldecott-winning artists Alice and Martin Provensen are the perfect accompaniment to these wonderful poems. Engaging, thoughtful, and fun, this treasure will occupy a special place in a child's heart for a lifetime. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Piece of my Childhood
I had this book as a little girl and loved the poems and colorful pictures!It's so good to see that it's still available.I'm glad to have another copy.

Classic poems
There is a reason Robert Louis Stevenson is so well-remembered. He had a knack for finding the right word in the right place, and his poems about childhood always hit the right spot.

The illustrations in this book complement the rhymes perfectly.

Please note that this edition is oversized, and it may be difficult to put on your bookshelf.

Delightful edition
The illustrations are bright and engaging, complementing the poems nicely.My 4 yo and 2 yo love this book!

You cannot go wrong!!!
This book is pure magic. The Provensons' beautiful artwork has been etched onto my brain from early childhood.Stevenson's beautiful verses coupled with the delightful illustrations make this book truly magical. You will love this book!!!!

A True Treasure found
Imagine my happiness when I found a copy of the book that night after night my mother had read to me as a child in the late 50s and early 60s - My copy had long fallen apart but this was the correct edition and as I opened the pages the illustrations welcomed me like old friends. I got the flu and my husband kindly read the entire book to me and then next time my Mom came to visit I read a few to her and watched her smile.

Expose a child to this book and they will develop a love of poetry, the whimiscal and when you watch Rocky and Bullwinkle next time you will know where Bullwinkle gets all the poems that he recites ! ... Read more

Product Description
The most authoritative, comprehensive, perceptive biography of R. L. Stevenson to date, using for the first time his collected correspondence (unavailable to previous writers). The short life of Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94) was as adventurous as almost anything in his fiction: his travels, illness, struggles to become a writer, relationships with his volatile wife and stepfamily, friendships and quarrels have fascinated readers for over a century. In his time he was both engineer and aesthete, dutiful son and reckless lover, Scotsman and South Sea Islander, Covenanter and atheist. Stevenson's books, including Treasure Island, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Kidnapped, have achieved world fame; others - The Master of Ballantrae, A Child's Garden of Verses, Travels with a Donkey - remain all-time favourites.His unique gift for storytelling and dramatic characterisation has meant that that some of his characters live in the consciousness even of those who have never read his work: Long John Silver, with his wooden leg and his parrot, is more real to most people than any historical pirate, while 'Jekyll and Hyde' has become a universally recognised term for a split personality. No biography has yet done justice to the complex, brilliant and troubled man who was responsible for so many remarkable creations. His interest in psychology, genetics, technology and feminism anticipated the concerns of the next century, while his experiments in narrative technique inspired post-modern innovators such as Borges and Nabokov. Stevenson's recently collected correspondence shows him to have been the least 'Victorian' of Victorian writers, a man of humour, resilience and strongly unconventional views. With access to this and much previously unpublished material, Claire Harman, the acclaimed biographer of Sylvia Townsend Warner and Fanny Burney, has written the most authoritative, comprehensive and perceptive portrait of 'RLS' to date. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Jekyll and Hyde of Scotland and Samoa
Claire Harman in her introduction to this work speaks about how Stevenson's work has not been accepted by school curricula in the English speaking world. I find that odd since in Troy New York many years ago Miss McGovern led us through 'Treasure Island'. And I believe a couple of years later we were also given 'Kidnappeed' to read. Nonetheless it is fair to say that Stevenson despite 'Jekyll and Hyde' "A Child's Garden of Verses" "Kidnapped" and "Treasure Island" has not been given as high a literary place as contemporaries whose works were less popular. And this when later on Borges and Nabakov other 'foreign writers' would come to hold him in the highest literary esteem.
Harman says that Stevenson was a hard- working, devoted writer who loved 'starting books' more than finishing them, and who thus left behind many incomplete works. She says he was a writer obsessed by the theme of the 'double' the Jekyll and Hyde also in himself.
The only son of two devoted parents he was sickly as a child. And in fact his whole life involves a moving from place to place to find a place of health. Despite the bad health, the suspected tuberculosis Stevenson worked and was recognized in his own time as a most brilliant writer of the greatest possible promise. But many of his contemporaries could not see why he wasted his time on the works he did. He too seemingly did not know the real value of his work. He did not take seriously 'Treasure Island' which he began by drawing a treasure- map for his stepson. The work he most took seriously a novel is not read or even heard of today.
Stevenson fell in love with a mother-of- two separated from her husband. He pursued his Fanny and together they made a new and improbable life on Samoa. His friends despised her as common, but Harman defends her as having been exemplary in caring for Stevenson in and through his final illness.
This is an informative life of one of the most important contributors to English literature in the nineteenth century-who was of course a Scot through and through as is shown in a number of his most important works.
... Read more

Product Description
All of this great author's work in one book!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

part of a set
The book is a nice collection, the outside is tan it's about maybe 7in in height and the pages feel like it was stamped on instead of printed on, which a quality i like of the book. I haven't had time to read the stories but the quality of the book itself is pretty good ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description

Product Description
1911. From 1891-1894, the second, third and fourth years at Vailima-The End. After much dickering amongst the Stevenson family, the task of editing the author's letters fell to Sidney Colvin. ... Read more