Shadowhite reviewed Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island Still Holds Up
5 stars
Fun and engaging from the start
Hardcover, 267 pages
German language
Published July 15, 1999 by Könemann-Verlagsgesellschaft.
Die Schatzinsel
4 stars
(141 reviews)
Treasure Island (originally The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys) is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "buccaneers and buried gold." Its influence is enormous on popular perceptions of pirates, including such elements as treasure maps marked with an "X", schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen bearing parrots on their shoulders.As one of the most frequently dramatised of all novels, Treasure Island was originally considered a coming-of-age story and is noted for its atmosphere, characters, and action. It was originally serialised in the children's magazine Young Folks from 1881 through 1882 under the title Treasure Island or the mutiny of the Hispaniola, credited to the pseudonym "Captain George North". It was first published as a book on 14 November 1883, by Cassell & Co.
cdm reviewed Die Schatzinsel by Robert Louis Stevenson
For kids and adults
5 stars
- I already had read it as a kid but wanted to read it again after such a long time
- As an Adult, I also liked the story
mikerickson reviewed Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
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3 stars
Feels like whenever I read a ~classic~ I inevitably come across some pop cultural reference that I never realized was originally sourced from a book. Turns out in this case I didn't know that "Long John Silver" was the name of a character and not just a fast-food chain.
I got what I wanted out of this book: a bonafide swashbuckling high seas adventure with pirate tropes out the wazoo. And really, it had it all: treasure maps, castaways, talking parrots, peg legs, treachery, scurvy, cannonballs, etc., etc. It was interesting to read what basically amounted to the source material of an entire genre and aesthetic.
Beyond that, this modern-day reader didn't think it was that special plot-wise. The pacing threw me off because despite near-constant action in every chapter, there was a rather abrupt ending I wasn't expecting. Some of the dated slang in the dialogue and in-depth explanations …
Feels like whenever I read a ~classic~ I inevitably come across some pop cultural reference that I never realized was originally sourced from a book. Turns out in this case I didn't know that "Long John Silver" was the name of a character and not just a fast-food chain.
I got what I wanted out of this book: a bonafide swashbuckling high seas adventure with pirate tropes out the wazoo. And really, it had it all: treasure maps, castaways, talking parrots, peg legs, treachery, scurvy, cannonballs, etc., etc. It was interesting to read what basically amounted to the source material of an entire genre and aesthetic.
Beyond that, this modern-day reader didn't think it was that special plot-wise. The pacing threw me off because despite near-constant action in every chapter, there was a rather abrupt ending I wasn't expecting. Some of the dated slang in the dialogue and in-depth explanations of rigging and ship descriptions were hard to follow, and the protagonist (I don't think we're ever given an exact age, but he's referred to as a boy throughout) is so conveniently lucky so many times that it defies belief. But then again, this book was aimed at nineteenth-century children, so I'm clearly not the intended demographic and that's okay.
altlovesbooks reviewed Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Review of 'Treasure Island' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
...what blood and sorrow, what good ships scuttled on the deep, what brave men walking the plank blindfold, what shot of cannon, what shame and lies and cruelty, perhaps no man alive could tell.
Entertaining and surprisingly complex for an adventure book originally intended for a teenage audience. I had a lot of fun with this one, because pirates are always fun. I don't care who you are.
Review of 'Treasure Island By: Robert Louis Stevenson,illustrated By: N. C. Wyeth: Classics for Younger Readers. Newell Convers Wyeth (October 22, 1882 ? ... was an American artist and illustrator.' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
Have you stopped murdering your shipmates, John Silver?
I ges this is what happens when yu write your stories as a serial. I get the idea the author had forgotten about Tom (no last name given) shortly after chapter 14. Yu know, the one John Silver murders in cold blood for not joining his mutiny. Jim sees this murder, is properly shocked at first, but then seems to forget all about it. In the end they take John Silver along and he escapes and lives happily ever after.
I can’t stand that.
Minor points, you could call them gaffes, only, the gaffes you expect of a 18th century schooner are never mentiont.
- •I think sometimes the author just stuck a few nautical terms together without quite knowing what they meant. At one time Jim is hidden in a barrel near the foremast (he slips out and hides behind the foresail) …
Have you stopped murdering your shipmates, John Silver?
I ges this is what happens when yu write your stories as a serial. I get the idea the author had forgotten about Tom (no last name given) shortly after chapter 14. Yu know, the one John Silver murders in cold blood for not joining his mutiny. Jim sees this murder, is properly shocked at first, but then seems to forget all about it. In the end they take John Silver along and he escapes and lives happily ever after.
I can’t stand that.
Minor points, you could call them gaffes, only, the gaffes you expect of a 18th century schooner are never mentiont.
- •I think sometimes the author just stuck a few nautical terms together without quite knowing what they meant. At one time Jim is hidden in a barrel near the foremast (he slips out and hides behind the foresail) and, looking up, sees the mizzen top. Erm, no. The mizzen top is two masts back.
- •In one sene the abandoned schooner is doing repeated accidental jibes, and that is not shown as the most terrifying thing that can happen on a ship. Jim just dodges the boom, twice, and keeps on doing what he was, instead of reeling in the sheet.
- •Near the beginning we get a position on the high seas with an accuracy of tens of seconds of arc, for longitude as well as latitude. That would be really hard to do at the time, and was completely pointless.
All in all the kind of shoddy research you expect for disposable fiction. It’s OK in general, but this has become Great Literature. The Big Example of Pirate Fiction. Something You Must Have Read.
The pictures in my version, by Louis Rhead, are worse.
The text has Jim climb up to the cross tree of the schooner. For that we get an illustration of him on a top above a yardarm. Schooners don’t have yardarms. (At least not at that level of the mast.) That is the point of a schooner.
The text has the tiller hit a mutineer in the chest. In illustrations we see has a steering wheel.
Another problem is of course the buried pirate treasure. Well, no. Pirates did not bury treasure on remote ilands and drew elaborate maps. (The Captain Kidd story is different in every important aspect.)
Most importantly, pirates didn’t keep tonnes of gold around. The £ 700 000 mentioned would be 5.6 tonnes of gold. “Spend like a sailor” surely held doubly true for pirates. Not to mention the cost of furnishing the ships for the next raids. They effing spend all their money. There was nothing left to bury.
Benjamin Hollon reviewed Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Review of 'Treasure Island' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This book was mainly written as an interesting story to read and did not teach very many lessons to the reader.
As such, it was very good for a children's book. It was written in simple, understandable language and kept out any bad language that might have been a result of the pirates swearing.
I highly recommend this book to children or adults who want to have a break from books with lessons and simply want to read an interesting story.
Review of 'Treasure Island By: Robert Louis Stevenson,illustrated By: N. C. Wyeth: Classics for Younger Readers. Newell Convers Wyeth (October 22, 1882 ? ... was an American artist and illustrator.' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I am embarrassed to say I knew neither the original nor the aeronautical meaning of the word leeway. It is extraordinary how much of pirate lore comes from this book. Also, although written in 1881 close to the time of the discovery of the tubercle bacillus, Stevenson either still believed in the miasma theory or he put it in the mouth of his 18th century Dr. Livesey for historical verisimilitude (unlikely).
Wetdryvac reviewed Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Review of 'Treasure Island' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Really enjoyed it as a kid. Less so now.
Sharyl reviewed Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Review of 'Treasure Island' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I had no idea that Long John Silver was anything but seafood, fast food style. Shiver me timbers! This would have been a more enjoyable read for me thirty years ago, I think, but still, it was interesting. Stevenson did do his homework.
