Here is the private Stevenson - the man behind Jekyll and Treasure Island - revealed in his own hand. Written from Bournemouth in 1886, these letters capture a writer battling tuberculosis while churning out works that would define an era. But what emerges is not merely a portrait of suffering genius. Stevenson's correspondence bristles with self-deprecating humor, sharp observations about the mundane (he complains beautifully about the English weather), and genuine tenderness toward the friends and family who sustained him. He discusses his craft with the ease of a man who knows his powers but refuses to take himself too seriously. These are the conversations a writer has when he thinks no one is listening - and they happen to be among the most entertaining dispatches from Victorian literary life. For readers who have ever wanted to meet the person behind the legend, this volume offers exactly that chance.
