Product Description

In 1878, Robert Louis Stevenson was suffering from poor health, struggling to survive on the income derived from his writings, and tormented by his infatuation with Fanny Osbourne, a married American woman. His response was to embark on a journey through the Cevennes with a donkey, Modestine, and a notebook, which he later transformed into Travels with a Donkey. Just a few months after publication, Stevenson was off again – this time crossing the Atlantic and the breadth of America in the hope of being re-united with Fanny, an experience he recorded in The Amateur Emigrant. Both pieces are classics of travel writings, which reveal as much about Stevenson’s character as the landscape he travels through.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30423 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94) was born in Edinburgh and studied engineering and law, before turning to writing full time. He wrote essays, travel literature, poetry, and fiction. Christopher MacLachlan is Senior Lecturer in English at St Andrews. He has written widely on 18th-century English/ Scottish literature; the Scottish Enlightenment; modern Scottish literature.

Customer Reviews

Enchanting travel book
For those who know Stevenson only from his popular fiction titles - treasure island, kidnapped, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and others - this book presents a different Stevenson, a man of letters, of learning and of sly, good-natured humor. Stevenson takes us and his donkey, Modestine, on a trip to the Cevennes in France, to meet its people and visit its places, while musing on the nature of human beings, of life, of history, and of nature itself, written in a rich, evocative language and a distinctive style.

A short enjoyable read.
Animal lovers may be a little upset by RLS's early treatment of Modestine... however he does shed a tear for her on parting.

The book is a tale of walking which RLS truly enjoys, good evocation of France and the French in a time before tourism. A short enjoyable read.

Just as bad the second time
When I was 11 in the first term at grammar school the book set for us to read was "Travels with a donkey". I was always in trouble with my teacher because I found this book very boring so I rarely completed the set homework. Having reached 75 I thought I would give it another go since R L Stevenson is a much admired author. But I found that the views I held when I was 11 were correct. Of course, this is a personal opinion and I should add that my wife loves the book!