Alpine diversions

After a year in the United States, Robert Louis Stevenson sailed back to Europe. He spent the winters in the mountain towns of the Alps, returning to Scotland in the summer to brave the inhospitable climate.

'Treasure Island' begins
During the summer of 1881, Stevenson and his family were staying in a cottage in Braemar. One afternoon he began drawing a map to amuse his stepson, but found that he himself was carried away:

Best-loved novel
This enthusiasm produced 'Treasure Island', a tale of buccaneers and of mutiny on the high seas. It was Stevenson's first novel, and it remains his best-loved work, never having been out of print since it was first published.