For all of Robert Louis Stevenson's achievements in fiction, most famously Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, many of his contemporaries thought of him primarily as an essayist. His essays, known for their intellectual substance, emotional force, and stylistic vitality, were widely considered the best of their time. Despite the importance of Stevenson's nonfiction, his personal essays-80 in total-have never been printed together in a single volume until now.
Stevenson explores a range of topics from illness and evolution to marriage and dreams, and from literal and literary travel to the behavior of children and the character of dogs in essays that are both playful and profound. Along the way, he outlines his own colorful life story from Scotland to Samoa and unique approach to "the art of living."
Originally published by Routledge, The Complete Personal Essays of Robert Louis Stevenson, now in its second edition, has been expanded to include the best of his critical writing. This volume presents Stevenson's essays, carefully restored to their authorized versions, along with an introduction and notes to assist in a rereading and reappreciation that is long overdue.
Editor Biography
Trenton B. Olsen, PhD is the author of WORDSWORTH AND EVOLUTION IN VICTORIAN LITERATURE (Routledge, 2019) and Associate Professor of English at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He is President of the Stevenson Society of America (est. 1915), which owns and operates the Robert Louis Stevenson Cottage Museum in Saranac Lake, New York.
REVIEWS
"Let us be grateful for Olsen's collection, which offers more than enough evidence of this profoundly likable practitioner's achievements in the essay form." -The New York Review of Books
"What a joy to get this complete edition of Stevenson's personal essays! -Phillip Lopate, Editor of The Art of the Personal Essay
"For decades I've wanted this book to exist." -Patrick Madden, Editor of Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction
"What Stevenson said of Montaigne, that he 'retained, after death, the art of making friends, ' applies equally to himself in these personal essay . . . [which both] stimulate thought and give pleasure." -Richard Dury, General Editor of The New Edinburgh Edition of the Works of Robert Louis Stevenson
"It only takes a reading of the essay 'On Falling in Love' to fall in love with the essayist." -Nancy Horan, Author of Under the Wide and Starry Sky
"Highly recommended." -The American Library Association's CHOICE, Top 75 Title, May, 2022
