Treasure Island

Name: Treasure Island
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island 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. The story is told in the first-person narrative by an adult Jim Hawkins, and it begins with his childhood memories of his father's old sailor, Billy Bones. After Bones' death, Jim and his mother find a treasure map in the sailor's sea chest. With the help of Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the crew of the Hispaniola, Jim sets sail on an adventure to find the treasure. The ship is taken over by the notorious pirate Long John Silver and his crew, who are also in search of the treasure. After a series of adventures on the island, Jim and his friends find the treasure and return to England with it. However, Silver escapes with some of the treasure, leaving Jim with a sense of unfinished business.

By Robert Louis Stevenson · First published 1883 · Genre: Adventure, Fiction, Romance · 34 chapters · 69,046 words

First lines

SQUIRE TRELAWNEY, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17__ and go back to the time when my father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof.

What this Textopian page supports

Treasure Island is listed on Textopian as a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, dated 1883 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Novel
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Date: 1883 CE
Language: English
Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Romance, Mystery, Historical Fiction
Length: 69,046 words
Structure: 34 chapters, 2,161 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters

What should a reader notice first when entering Treasure Island?
How does this novel by Robert Louis Stevenson fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
Where does Adventure first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

Genres

Adventure — The book follows the adventures of young Jim Hawkins as he searches for buried treasure on a remote island.
Fiction — The book is a work of fiction, with a plot that is entirely imaginary.
Romance — The book contains elements of romance, such as Jim's relationship with the female character, Mary.
Mystery — The book contains elements of mystery, as Jim and his companions attempt to unravel the secrets of the island.