The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson — Volume 1

About this book

This volume gathers the surviving correspondence of Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish author best known for works such as Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The edition begins with a brief note on its own production, indicating that a few misprints have been corrected and three newly‑found letters, addressed to Austin Dobson, Rudyard Kipling and George Meredith, have been inserted. What follows is an extensive, chronologically arranged catalogue of letters, each entry noting the recipient and page number, covering periods from his student days in Edinburgh through his later years in the Pacific. The introductory essay, written by a contemporary friend, explains Stevenson’s own reluctance to write letters, the editorial challenges of undated missives, and the rationale for assembling this selection as a tribute to the author’s literary legacy.

The correspondence reflects Stevenson’s late‑Victorian voice: witty, conversational, and often informal, with a penchant for vivid description and occasional self‑deprecation. Because the letters are presented without extensive annotation, readers encounter the raw spontaneity of his exchanges with family, fellow writers and acquaintances. Scholars of 19th‑century literature, admirers of Stevenson’s fiction, and anyone interested in the personal side of a writer who blended humor with melancholy will find this collection rewarding.