One of the best-loved adventure stories ever written, Treas­ure Island‘s timeless tale of pirates, lost treasure maps, mutiny and derring-do has appealed to generations of readers ever since Robert Louis Stevenson penned it in 1881 with the claim: “If this don’t fetch the kids, why, they have gone rotten since my day”.

But more than just a children’s classic, the novel is considered to be one of the greatest feats of storytelling in the English language, with characters such as the unforgettable Long John Silver becoming part of the cultural consciousness. Treasure Island is a coming-of-age story that will captivate both adults and children for as long as stories are told.

This edition contains: note on the text, notes, appendix, extra material for young readers including ‘Famous Pirates in History’, test yourself and glossary.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Born in Edinburgh in 1850, to strict Calvinist parents, Robert Louis Stevenson was a famous Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer. His ill health meant that he spent the latter part of his life voyaging the world, in an attempt to find a climate that suited his health, and this contributed to the exoticism of much of his work. He finally settled in Samoa, and died in 1899. Revered during his lifetime, and often harshly underrated since his death, Robert Louis Stevenson is today recognized as one of the the great writers of the nineteenth century, having influenced authors such as Graham Greene, Jorge Luis Borges and Vladimir Nabokov.

David Mackintosh

An Australian now living in London, David Mackintosh is an acclaimed graphic designer and illustrator who has worked with some of the biggest names in children’s publishing. His new picture book What’s Up, MuMu? is published with HarperCollins in 2015.