Book Synopsis

R. L. Stevenson's life and writing, which reflected a restless mind in a global age.

This concise biography offers a fresh portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson: frail Edinburgh child turned globe-trotting author of Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It charts his remarkable literary range--from fiction and poetry to essays and letters--crafted across three continents, often in poor health. Stevenson's adventurous life and memorable characters captured both popular imagination and critical praise. Drawing on new scholarship, the book explores his role as a literary innovator and cultural commentator, revealing how his work engaged with the anxieties of a rapidly changing world. At once celebrity, critic, and colonial observer, Stevenson emerges as a truly modern writer whose influence remains potent today. This book is essential reading for lovers of literature, history, and global storytelling.

Review Quotes

"Norquay narrates Stevenson's all-too-brief and eventful life with grace and verve and a fine eye for the telling detail. This is a learned book, but Norquay wears her learning lightly. Not only does she reveal Stevenson himself in all his multi-faceted complexity, she vividly conjures up the many disparate worlds he moved through, from Scotland to the South Seas."--Stephen Arata, University of Virginia

About the Author

Glenda Norquay is professor emerita of Scottish literature at Liverpool John Moores University. Her books on Stevenson include Robert Louis Stevenson, Literary Networks and Transatlantic Publishing in the 1890s.