Treasure Island.

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An attractive edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of piracy and betrayal on the high seas, superbly illustrated by Mervyn Peake.

Most of Treasure Island was actually written at Braemar, in the Scottish Highlands in 1881, and finished at Davos, in Switzerland. Stevenson wrote the novel for his stepson, who triggered Stevenson's joy in storytelling by drawing a map. Although it was first published as part of a serialisation for a children's magazine and was called The Sea Cook, or Treasure Island, it was the book's publication that made it an instant hit with children and adults alike.

First edition thus, illustrated by Mervyn Peake; 8vo (220 x 150 mm); illustrated title-page, further full-page engraved illustrations and vignette's throughout, slight age-toning, else internally near-fine; publisher's indigo cloth covered boars, black lettering piece to spine, lettered in silver, contemporary ink ownership to upper free endpaper, dated 1952, illustrated dust jacket, a few short tears and chips to extremities, small loss to upper blank margin of rear panel, general age toning, a few minor marks, otherwise still very good and not price-clipped.