Treasured Islands
Cruising the South Seas with Robert Louis StevensonBy Lowell D. Holmes
304 pp. 24 halftones, 3 line drawings. November 2001. Hardcover. $29.95
ISBN 1 57409 130 1
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Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the best-loved writers in the entire English language. Over 30 biographies have been written about him, but this highly readable account — which covers the years leading up to his death in Samoa — stands out from all the rest.
Treasured Islands recounts Stevenson's desperate attempt to recover his health, as well as the fulfillment of his life-long dream to cross broad oceans in tall ships and gain an understanding of what it means to share a global culture with societies beyond the frontiers of "civilization". Author Lowell D. Holmes ably evokes the literary giant and his supportive but somewhat eccentric family, including his wife Fanny, mother Maggie, and stepson Lloyd, as well as the towering ships — the CASCO, the EQUATOR, and the JANET NICOLL — that transported them to high adventure in the South Pacific between the years 1888 and 1890.
Holmes also depicts the capable boat crews, the colorful beachcombers, and the island potentates and their subjects in the Marquesas, Tahiti, the Tuamotus, Hawaii, and Samoa. He accurately presents life in the late 1880s on these islands, addressing European economic exploitation, cultural stability and the change of indigenous populations, and the day-to-day life aboard commercial sailing vessels.
“…an intriguing, thoroughly researched account of Stevenson's Pacific wanderings…offers fresh insights on Stevenson as a man obsessed...a delightful literary voyage.” —Sailing
“…you can almost feel the motion of the deck as you read this well written account.” —Latitudes & Attitudes
“…makes for an in-depth portrait of this great man's memorable travels and cultural discoveries.” —Midwest Book Review
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About the Author:
Lowell D. Holmes, a writer and filmmaker, is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. He has produced a documentary film about Robert Louis Stevenson's travels in the Pacifick, and he has written several academic books on anthropological topics, particularly concerning Samoa. In addition to his academic interests, he has been a lifelong sailor.