Treasure Island
The clearest entry point to Stevenson's adventure fiction.
Author guide
Robert Louis Stevenson Books in Order
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a Scottish writer whose career encompassed adventure novels, Gothic fiction, historical romances, short-story collections, essays, travel books, poetry, drama, biography, and political and cultural nonfiction. His major works include Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, The Master of Ballantrae, and A Child's Garden of Verses. He also collaborated with Fanny Van de Grift Stevenson, W. E. Henley, and Lloyd Osbourne, and produced substantial posthumously published fiction, travel writing, poetry, and nonfiction.
novelsshort fictionessaystravel writingpoetryplaysbiographymemoirhistorical nonfictionchildren's literature
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
A concise gateway to his Gothic and psychological fiction.
An Inland Voyage
An accessible introduction to his travel writing and distinctive narrative voice.
Read in order
Books by series
novel-series · complete
David Balfour
Historical adventure novels following David Balfour and his Scottish and European adventures.
- 1 Kidnapped: Being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751
Book 1 · novel · 1886
- 2 Catriona
Book 2 · novel · 1893
From the book:It is the fate of sequels to disappoint those who have waited for them; and my David, having been left to kick his heels for more than a lustre in the British Linen Company’s office, must expect his late re-appearance to be…
story-cycle · complete
New Arabian Nights
Related adventure and fantastic story collections centered on the New Arabian Nights tradition and Prince Florizel.
- 1 New Arabian Nights
Book 1 · short-story-collection · 1882
Short Stories. Classic fiction. First published in book form in 1882, Stevenson's first published fiction combines dark humor with wit and narrative skill, and is considered by some critics to be his best work Previously published in…
- 2 More New Arabian Nights: The Dynamiter
Book 2 · short-story-collection · 1885
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (12)
- Treasure Island
novel · 1883
Traditionally considered a coming-of-age story, Treasure Island is an adventure tale known for its atmosphere, characters and action, and also as a wry commentary on the ambiguity of morality — as seen in Long John Silver — unusual for…
- Prince Otto
novel · 1885
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as…
- Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
novella · 1886
- The Black Arrow: A Tale of Two Roses
novel · 1888
Richard Shelton is a young knight during the Wars of the Roses. We see him ascend and rescue his lady love. He then seeks revenge against his father's murderer, but when the evidence points towards his guardian he is forced to go into…
- The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale
novel · 1889
A gripping tale of sibling rivalry and greed takes readers on a fast-paced adventure that encompasses sea voyages, encounters with pirates, intrigue at the French court, exotic life in India, buried treasure, and a shocking discovery in…
- The Wrong Box
novel · 1889
The Wrong Box is a black comedy novel co-written by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, first published in 1889. The story is about two brothers who are the last two surviving members of a tontine. The book was the first of three…
- A Footnote to History: Eight Years of Trouble in Samoa
historical-nonfiction · 1892
- The Ebb-Tide: A Trio and Quartette
novel · 1894
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as…
- Weir of Hermiston: An Unfinished Romance
unfinished-novel · 1896
- The Castaways of Soledad
unfinished-fiction · 1928
Nonfiction (7)
- An Inland Voyage
travelogue · 1878
Robert Louis Stevenson's 1878 travelogue, An Inland Voyage, details his canoeing trip through France and Belgium in 1876. Pioneering new ground in outdoor literature, this was Stevenson's first book. He had decided to become free from his…
- Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes
travelogue · 1879
- The Silverado Squatters
travelogue · 1884
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) traveled to California in 1879 in pursuit of Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, the Oakland woman with whom he had fallen in love in France. The two were married in the spring of 1880 and honeymooned in a…
- Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin
biography · 1888
- The Amateur Emigrant
travelogue · 1895
"For in emigration the young men enter direct by the shipload on their heritage of work; empty continents swarm, as at the bosun's whistle, with industrious hands, and whole hew empires are domesticated to the service of man." -Robert…
- In the South Seas
travelogue · 1896
IN THE SOUTH SEAS records Stevenson's travels with his wife Fanny and their family in the Marquesas, the Paumotus and the Gilbert Islands during 1888-9. Originally drafted in journal form while Stevenson travelled, it was then ambitiously…
- Records of a Family of Engineers
unfinished-memoir · 1896
From the book:From the thirteenth century onwards, the name, under the various disguises of Stevinstoun, Stevensoun, Stevensonne, Stenesone, and Stewinsoune, spread across Scotland from the mouth of the Firth of Forth to the mouth of the…
Short fiction (2)
- The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables
short-story-collection · 1887
- Island Nights' Entertainments
short-story-collection · 1893
Essays and speeches (11)
- The Pentland Rising
pamphlet · 1866
- Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes
travel-essay-collection · 1878
- Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers
essay-collection · 1881
- Familiar Studies of Men and Books
essay-collection · 1882
THESE studies are collected from the monthly press. One appeared in the NEW QUARTERLY, one in MACMILLAN'S, and the rest in the CORNHILL MAGAZINE. To the CORNHILL I owe a double debt of thanks; first, that I was received there in the very…
- Memories and Portraits
essay-collection · 1887
From the book:THIS volume of papers, unconnected as they are, it will be better to read through from the beginning, rather than dip into at random. A certain thread of meaning binds them. Memories of childhood and youth, portraits of…
- Across the Plains with Other Memories and Essays
essay-collection · 1892
- Lay Morals
essay-collection · 1896
The problem of education is twofold: first to know, and then to utter. Every one who lives any semblance of an inner life thinks more nobly and profoundly than he speaks; and the best of teachers can impart only broken images of the truth…
- A Mountain Town in France
travel-essay · 1897
- On the Choice of a Profession
essay-pamphlet · 1916
- Confessions of a Unionist: An Unpublished Talk on Things Current
essay-pamphlet · 1921
Poetry (8)
- An Old Song
poem-chapbook · 1877
- A Child's Garden of Verses
poetry-collection · 1885
A collection of poems by Robert Louis Stevenson and others which reflect the joys of childhood, accompanied by Bible verses.
- Underwoods
poetry-collection · 1887
- Ballads
poetry-collection · 1890
- Songs of Travel and Other Verses
poetry-collection · 1895
- Poems, Hitherto Unpublished
poetry-collection · 1916
- The History of Moses
prose-poem · 1919
- Poems of Robert Louis Stevenson Hitherto Unpublished
poetry-collection · 1921
Plays (6)
- Deacon Brodie, or, The Double Life
play · 1880
- Beau Austin
play · 1884
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (1850 - 1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer. His most famous works are Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. A literary celebrity during his…
- Admiral Guinea
play · 1884
- Three Plays
play-collection · 1892
- Macaire: A Melodramatic Farce in Three Acts
play · 1895
- The Hanging Judge
play · 1922
Other (5)
- Moral Emblems
chapbook · 1882
- The Graver and the Pen
chapbook · 1882
- Moral Tales
chapbook · 1882
- Father Damien: An Open Letter to the Reverend Doctor Hyde of Honolulu
open-letter · 1890
- Fables
fable-collection · 1896
AFTER the 32nd chapter of TREASURE ISLAND, two of the puppets strolled out to have a pipe before business should begin again, and met in an open place not far from the story.
Frequently asked questions about Robert Louis Stevenson
Who was Robert Louis Stevenson?
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet, and travel writer. He was born in Edinburgh and died at his home in Vailima, Samoa.
Sources: ed.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)robert-louis-stevenson.org (opens in a new tab)
What did Robert Louis Stevenson study before becoming a writer?
He initially studied engineering at the University of Edinburgh, then changed to law and was called to the Scottish bar in 1875. He never practiced law, choosing instead to pursue writing.
Sources: ed.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)alumni.ed.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Robert Louis Stevenson's writing?
Travel was a major influence: his journeys through France, America, and the Pacific supplied material for both nonfiction and fiction. He also trained himself by imitating writers such as William Hazlitt and Daniel Defoe.
Sources: poetryfoundation.org (opens in a new tab)robert-louis-stevenson.org (opens in a new tab)
Why did Robert Louis Stevenson move to Samoa?
Stevenson repeatedly traveled in search of a climate that might help his chronic ill health. After Pacific voyages, he settled at Vailima, Samoa, in 1890 and lived there until his death.
Sources: alumni.ed.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)samoa.travel (opens in a new tab)
How is Robert Louis Stevenson remembered today?
He remains an influential writer of adventure and Gothic fiction whose work is widely read. In Samoa he was known as “Tusitala,” meaning “teller of tales,” and his Vailima home is preserved as a museum.
Sources: academic.oup.com (opens in a new tab)ed.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)robert-louis-stevenson.org (opens in a new tab)