Reviews: (by author)

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. Illus. N.C. Wyeth. Abridged by Timothy Meis. New York: Atheneum, 2003. $18.95. 0-689-85468-4.

"Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!" Long John Silver, Billy Bones, Jim Hawkins, Israel Hands—and Jolly Roger—they're all back in this fine edition of Stevenson's classic pirate story. A reissue of the N.C. Wyeth illustrations accompanied by a skillful abridgement and updating of language by Tim Meis, this version will do well with the new generation of readers. In classes when I've assigned the original, inevitably second-language speakers have insurmountable difficulties with the dialects Stevenson used. This handsome book alleviates those problems for many readers. This classic belongs in everyone's library, in whatever edition one finds most appealing; due especially to the magnificent paintings by Wyeth, Atheneum's reissue is well worth buying.

Highly recommended

Alida Allison, October 2003

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