An Inland Voyage / The Silverado Squatters / Travels with a Donkey
by Robert Louis Stevenson
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This book is part of the Everyman series which has been re-set with wide margins and easy-to-read type. It includes a selection of Stevenson's travel writing, reflecting his development both as a writer and an observer of life.Tags
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Only read "The Silverado Squatters" thus far. It's a short description of Stevenson and his new wife on honeymoon in the hills near Mt. Saint Helena adjacent to the Napa Valley. Stevenson was quite ill with his bronchial disease; they decided to escape the sea-laden air of San Francisco in search of drier air.
Wonderfully descriptive of the natural beauty of Napa Valley as it was in 1880. Vineyards had been established, one by Mr Schram, 18 years earlier.
The Stevensons occupied the wreckage left behind at the abandoned Silverado mine site and made do with what comforts they could find in the derelict buildings, and being supplied by goods delivered by stage at a nearby Toll House. Stevenson casts a wry eye on the local settlers, shifty, show more lazy, and deceitful. It's best summed up by Stevenson himself "...dwelt in this quiet corner of the mountains, with not a dozen neighbours, and yet struggled all the while, like desperate swimmers, in this sea of falsities and contradictions. Wherever a man is, there will be a lie."
A satisfying short read. show less
Wonderfully descriptive of the natural beauty of Napa Valley as it was in 1880. Vineyards had been established, one by Mr Schram, 18 years earlier.
The Stevensons occupied the wreckage left behind at the abandoned Silverado mine site and made do with what comforts they could find in the derelict buildings, and being supplied by goods delivered by stage at a nearby Toll House. Stevenson casts a wry eye on the local settlers, shifty, show more lazy, and deceitful. It's best summed up by Stevenson himself "...dwelt in this quiet corner of the mountains, with not a dozen neighbours, and yet struggled all the while, like desperate swimmers, in this sea of falsities and contradictions. Wherever a man is, there will be a lie."
A satisfying short read. show less
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Novelist, poet, and essayist Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. A sickly child, Stevenson was an invalid for part of his childhood and remained in ill health throughout his life. He began studying engineering at Edinburgh University but soon switched to law. His true inclination, however, was for writing. For several years show more after completing his studies, Stevenson traveled on the Continent, gathering ideas for his writing. His Inland Voyage (1878) and Travels with a Donkey (1878) describe some of his experiences there. A variety of essays and short stories followed, most of which were published in magazines. It was with the publication of Treasure Island in 1883, however, that Stevenson achieved wide recognition and fame. This was followed by his most successful adventure story, Kidnapped, which appeared in 1886. With stories such as Treasure Island and Kidnapped, Stevenson revived Daniel Defoe's novel of romantic adventure, adding to it psychological analysis. While these stories and others, such as David Balfour and The Master of Ballantrae (1889), are stories of adventure, they are at the same time fine studies of character. The Master of Ballantrae, in particular, is a study of evil character, and this study is taken even further in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). In 1887 Stevenson and his wife, Fanny, went to the United States, first to the health spas of Saranac Lake, New York, and then on to the West Coast. From there they set out for the South Seas in 1889. Except for one trip to Sidney, Australia, Stevenson spent the remainder of his life on the island of Samoa with his devoted wife and stepson. While there he wrote The Wrecker (1892), Island Nights Entertainments (1893), and Catriona (1893), a sequel to Kidnapped. He also worked on St. Ives and The Weir of Hermiston, which many consider to be his masterpiece. He died suddenly of apoplexy, leaving both of these works unfinished. Both were published posthumously; St. Ives was completed by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, and The Weir of Hermiston was published unfinished. Stevenson was buried on Samoa, an island he had come to love very much. Although Stevenson's novels are perhaps more accomplished, his short stories are also vivid and memorable. All show his power of invention, his command of the macabre and the eerie, and the psychological depth of his characterization. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Everyman's Library (766)
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- An Inland Voyage / The Silverado Squatters / Travels with a Donkey
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- English
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