Treasure Island
Lot 136

Treasure Island

R.L. Stevenson, 1883

Closed6 October 2022

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USD 4,788

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Treasure Island
R.L. Stevenson, 1883
STEVENSON, Robert Louis (1850-1894). Treasure Island. London: Cassell & Co. Ltd., 1883.

First edition in book form, first issue of Stevenson's classic tale of pirates, buried treasure, and bottles of rum. Originally serialized in the children’s magazine Young Folks, Treasure Island remains one of the greatest and most popular adventure novels in English. With the following issue points: "dead man's chest" not capitalized on pp. 2 and 7; the "7" is missing from the pagination on p. 127; the period dropped from line 20 of p. 178; and "worse" for "worst" in line 3 at p. 197. There is some disagreement over the priority of the four extant bindings/ad catalogues; the present is Beinecke's first issue of ads, but in green rather than blue cloth. Beinecke 240.

Octavo (190 x 121mm). Uncut, lithographic map frontispiece printed in colors. 4 ad pp. dated 5G-783. (Some small stains on p. 64.) Original green cloth gilt, black endpapers (slight lean, some mild rubbing). Custom box. Provenance: W. J. Lister (gift inscription dated 'Xmas 1883') - Christie’s, 26 November 1997, lot 222.