Published in 1917, 'The Island of the Stairs' by Cyrus Townsend Brady is a novel set in the South Pacific that begins with the suicide of Sir Geoffrey Wilberforce, impacting his daughter, Mistress Lucy, and her devoted sailor, Master Hampdon. As Hampdon grapples with the aftermath of this tragedy, he defends Lucy's honor against social elitism, leading to a series of adventures on the titular island, where hidden treasures and complex relationships unfold. The story explores themes of love, loss, and social class within a robinsonade framework, featuring extensive ruins and the quest for personal and familial redemption.
