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 step-family, 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.
This biography of beloved Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, provides an illuminating account of a sickly child, son of a Presbyterian lighthouse engineer, who became in turn a Bohemian dandy, a literary gypsy, and at 28 the lover of an American woman ten years his senior. The text chronicles Stevenson's life and achievements right through to his death in 1894.
The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson for Boys and Girls, has been acknowledged as a major work throughout human history, and we have taken precautions to assure its preservation by republishing this book in a modern manner for both present and future generations. This book has been completely retyped, revised, and reformatted. The text is readable and clear because these books are not created from scanned copies.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, and essayist, best known for his classicn ovels, such as Treasure Island. This volume includes "The Dynamiter," a collection of connected short stories by Stevenson, including: Prologue of the Cigar Divan, Zero's Tale of the Explosive Bomb, and Story of the Fair Cuban.
He thrilled readers the world over with breathtaking tales of pirates (Treasure Island) and monsters (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). But the short life of writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94) was as adventurous as almost anything in his fiction. He was both engineer and aesthete, Covenanter and atheist, dutiful son and reckless lover. His travels, illnesses, creative struggles, volatile relationships, and titanic quarrels were the stuff of legend. Until now, no biography has done justice to the complex, brilliant, and troubled man who was responsible for so many remarkable literary creations, the least "Victorian" of Victorian writers. Claire Harman's Myself & the Other Fellow is a fascinating portrait of a man of humor, resilience, and strongly unconventional views, the most authoritative, comprehensive, and perceptive biography of Robert Louis Stevenson to date.
'In short, McLynn's is a much more conventional literary biography, and those devoted to that genre will find it exemplary.' Booklist Review Robert Louis Stevenson is most famously remembered as the author of 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.' But the life of the writer was as extraordinary as some of his creations. Having grown up in Scotland, Stevenson was shaped by the experiences of his childhood: Calvinism, strained family relations and persistent ill health. These themes would carry on throughout his short life, and be reflected in his novels. In efforts to escape his deteriorating health, combined with a genuine love of adventure, Stevenson took up residence all over the globe, most notably in Samoa where he spent his final years. Much of Stevenson's literary ideas were sparked from his travels, seeing him embark on adventurous missions in order to produce work. The acclaimed biographer Frank McLynn offers a thoroughly detailed insight into the life and times of Stevenson, drawing attention to his genius and the era he wrote in. The curtain is drawn back, so we are able to glimpse the private life of Stevenson, as husband and father. The book also addresses the writer's public life and the impact of his novel's on a Victorian mindset, which his works helped to challenge and shape. This comprehensive biography of Robert Louis Stevenson will appeal to fans of both history and literature alike. Frank McLynn is a British author, biographer, historian and journalist. He is noted for critically acclaimed biographies of Napoleon Bonaparte, Robert Louis Stevenson, Carl Jung, Richard Francis Burton and Henry Morton Stanley. He is also the author of Fitzroy Maclean and Bipolar, a novel about Roald Amundsen, published by Sharpe Books. Praise for Frank McLynn: 'Excellent ... entertaining.' The Spectator 'The definitive biography.' TLS 'Does much to explain the contradictory accounts left to us of the man.' London Review of Books 'Frank McLynn's achievement ... is to give Charles Edward a solidarity and three-dimensional reality that he usually lacks ... His account of the risings themselves is exemplary and he offers the best case yet for the nearness to success of the '45. What is usually seen as the last shiver of an anachronistic and romantic throwback emerges as a genuine alternative to Whiggery and the Act of Settlement.' Brian Morton, TES 'A broad canvas, dealing not only with sober historical truth but with the magic spell that either seduced or repelled Fielding, Sterne, Smollett, Burns, Scott, Borrow, Buchan, Stevenson and a hundred Irish poets...' Diarmaid O'Muirithe, Irish Independent 'McLynn is to be congratulated on a great success, a work ... of mature reflection, acute judgement and great humanity.' Jeremy Black, History 'A readable and fresh study ... thoroughly researched.' Esmond Wright, Contemporary Review 'Packed with fascinating detail.' Denis Hills, choosing his book of the year in the Spectator 'Fitzroy Maclean has found his Boswell in Frank McLynn.' Trevor Royle, Scotland on Sunday 'Most entertaining.' Richard West 'Important, timely and balanced.' Soldier
