So much is said about "Treasure Island". That this was the book that established all the now-familiar elements of the well-worn genre of swashbuckling adventures with pirates and also laid down the groundwork for countless and equally rehashed tales of hunting buried treasure on an isolated island in an uncharted sea. And there are also so many who call it dotty, predictable (it seems "predictable" only because because we have done the same story to death) and even overrated. Well, what then makes me give it the highest rating possible?

The answer to that is not merely that "Treasure Island" still holds up as an exhilarating, exciting and "swashbuckling" adventure even today and that is no small achievement. While most of our classic adventures might seem quaint and only merely pleasing and passably entertaining to a modern reading mindset, for instance "Around The World In Eighty Days" which can be savoured more as an enjoyable colonial-era travelogue and less of a thrilling race against time to win a high-stakes wager, here's a rip-roaring, rousing adventure that grips the reader right from the first page, introducing him or her to a fascinating, intriguing cast of slimy buccaneers, dignified scoundrels and dainty heroes and then tugging us all along to a ride riotous with sights, sounds, thrills and spills that never, for once, lets one up.

What further makes the book such a delirious delight to read, however, is an unexpected shade of darkness and menace that marks many a page in the narrative. This is due to the man at the helm of this tale - Robert Louis Stevenson, that perceptive, dexterously skilled storyteller with a penchant not only for exciting, suspenseful plotting but, most crucially, a flair at portraying moral complexity which was still a rare sight in most popular adventures of his time. And so, even as we seem to be clear about who are the heroes and who are the villains in this adventure, Stevenson's brilliant staging of the mayhem on the titular island reveals his deception and after that, as the book approaches a startling climax, we are no longer sure as to where our loyalties lie. And whether that lovably malicious Long John Silver can be trusted too.

This much, however, one is sure: "Treasure Island", packed with action, excitement, dangerous suspense, moments of triumph and also of defeat and also a chocolate-rich flavour of darkness, is truly unforgettable.

Otro de los clásicos leídos hace la tira de años. Lo recuerdo más por el mito en sí, que por lo que leí durante esos días. Me gustó, pero sin llegarme a entusiasmar. Por entonces no llegué a captar la crítica del autor hacia la sociedad que le tocó vivir. Estamos hablando de finales del siglo XIX, pero su mensaje sigue vigente en la sociedad actual.
Recomendable su lectura al menos una vez en la vida.

This has to be one of my most favourite childhood classics, read and reread over and over, I loved it. Blind Pew and the black spot, used to scare me to death as 8, 9 or 10 year old, under the covers with my torch, reading until my eyes were sore. Could never put it down, what a fabulous read for a small boy.

My 8 year old finished the book in 2 days!!

Although I'm not lacking for reading material I decided that it's important to read some of the 'classics' of literature to see how they stack up for the modern reader. Much of Robert Louis Stevenson's <em>Treasure Island</em> has become standard pirate lore in modern media.  They way we think of a pirate - how they talk, what they sing ("Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum"), how they behave, maps with treasure marked by an 'X' - comes almost exclusively, still, from this book.

Young boy Jim Hawkins encounters a man, old Billy Bones, at the Admiral Benbow Inn in England.  Billy Bones tells young Hawkins to keep an eye out for a one-legged scoundrel (Long John Silver).  With that moment, Hawkins is pulled into a dangerous adventure.

Bones is attacked by former shipmates and dies (of a stroke) a short time later.  The shipmates attack the lodge, but Hawkins and his mother have already taken the pirate's map from Bones' belongings and made their escape from the inn.  Jim shares the map with some local respectable men, who decide to seek this treasure and take Jim on as a cabin boy.

On the island where the treasure should be buried, Jim encounters Ben Gunn, a former shipmate of the dreaded pirate who buried the treasure they now seek.  Jim navigates the rough world of the pirate life while trying to remain a good, solid young man despite Silver's taking him under his wing. And when the treasure chest is found and the chest is empty, Jim, and Silver, face a mutinous crew ready to kill the leader and his protected boy.

So often we find literature from this era to be a bit dry and difficult to read due to our changes in reading habits and styles of writing, but this book holds up incredibly well.  It moves along swiftly and is quite exciting to read.  This can still be considered a page-turner as we can't wait to find out what happens next to Jim along his journey.

This is definitely highly recommended.

Looking for a good book? If you think you can't read that 'old stuff' because it's slow reading, then pick up this classic, <em>Treasure Island</em> by Robert Louis Stevenson, and be brought into an exciting adventure story.

Font is unreadably small

Genial! J'adore l'histoire et cela m a permis d acquerir du vocabulaire sur le thème des pirates et de la mer.
J ai un niveau intermédiaire Supérieur en anglais. Et avec la version kindle j'ai réussi à me lire plutôt facilement. C est une manière ludique de travailler mon anglais.
L histoire et le style d'écriture est extra
Merci Amazon car je l'ai eu pour 0 €
Cela dit il est tellement génial que je compte acheter la version papier dans une belle édition!

I tried to read this about 60 years ago, as a fifth-grader. Gave up after a few chapters; the archaic terminology and sentence structure was impossible for a ten-year old.
I do remember the movie, which came out while I was still young, but know now that a lot was left out or substantially changed. A big difference between the dialogue in the book and the movie was the “talk like a pirate” silliness that is not to be found in the book.
Despite the difficult language, it is a good story.

I like the stories in it. But below 10year old children cannot read it as the vocabulary is hard.

Produto de excelente qualidade, superou as expectativas e foi entregue antes do prazo. Parabéns

Treasure Island, first published in book form in 1883, is THE pirate story. Many of the things we think of today as being trademarks of pirates (buried treasure, treasure maps, peg legs, parrots, desert islands) come more from Stevenson's tale than from history. But this book isn't about history, it's about pirates, adventure, and coming of age, and it delivers marvelously on all of those promises.

The narrator, young Jim Hawkins, lives and works at an inn owned by his parents. One day, a mysterious seaman takes lodging there with an equally mysterious chest. After some time, other sailors arrive looking for the first seaman. Out of this, from the seaman's chest Jim manages to find a treasure map leading to the untold riches of a now-dead but still famous pirate named Captain Flint. Jim takes the map to a couple of country gentlemen, who decide to charter a ship to look for the treasure and take Jim along as cabin boy.

Unfortunately for Jim and our heroes, but fortunately for the plot, they have a hard time finding sailors, and they turn to their new ship's cook, the one-legged Long John Silver, for "help" in rounding out the crew. Silver, as is hardly a spoiler, is actually a former pirate and crews the ship accordingly, having heard what they're after and eager to find those riches for himself.

The excitement mounts as Jim goes on several daring adventures to save himself and the faithful party, and Silver struggles to keep control of his mutineers, all the while treasure is calling. Jim shows a great deal of growth, taking charge of several perilous situations and demonstrating considerable bravery he never possessed when dealing with the mysterious sailor in his parents' inn. Silver, meanwhile, is a savvy character who's self-interest and ability to play both sides against the middle knows no bounds. If you're looking for a master of duplicity and double-cross, Silver could give Jack Sparrow lessons.

Stevenson's writing is fantastic. The colorful language of the pirates, and the refined speech of the gentlemen leading the faithful party, are a joy to experience. The drama steadily rises, despite the fact the book's story is well known and I've read it several times before. It's certainly no accident that this book has had such a powerful effect on an entire genre of fiction even 130 years later.

I've also listened to the book as narrated by Ralph Cosham, who I've enjoyed greatly and listened to on several other stories. If you're considering which audio version to listen to, you can't go wrong with Cosham's.

Treasure Island is about as easily available as a book can be, as every library will have it on hand, it's on Wikisource for free, Amazon has it for Kindle for free or in paperback for $2, and I've even seen it at Target for $1. It's also only 300 quick pages. Seriously, there is no excuse for not reading this book.