A pirate with a parrot on his shoulder; "X marks the spot"; buried treasure and of course.... Long John Silver.
These familiar associations with pirates can all be traced back to this adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson,originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island or, the mutiny of the Hispaniola with Stevenson adopting the pseudonym Captain George North.
Traditionally considered a coming-of-age story, the books is an adventure tale known for its atmosphere, characters and action, and also as a wry commentary on the ambiguity of morality — as seen in Long John Silver — unusual for children's literature now and then. It is one of the most frequently dramatized of all novels and has been the subject of numerous films.
