Treasure Island

Date of Issue: March 18, 1969
Scott #: 198 - 201

A set of four stamps were issued by British Virgin Islands to commemorate 75th anniversary of death of R.L.Stevenson, author of the book "Treasure Island."  It is also one of my favorite books which I enjoyed reading in my childhood.

Designs:

4c - Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins (the boy who found the treasure map, and also the chief narrator of the story.

10c- Jim's escape from the pirates.

40c- The fight with Israel Hands

$1 - Treasure trove.

The author, Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His most well known books also include Kidnapped and the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Treasure Island is an adventure novel narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book in 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881-82 under the title The Sea Cook; or, Treasure Island: A Story for Boys. The name of the ship which is involved in this story is the schooner - Hispaniola.

It is one of the most frequently dramatized of all novels. "The effect of Treasure Island on our perception of pirates cannot be overestimated. Stevenson linked pirates forever with maps, black schooners, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen with parrots on their shoulders. The treasure map with an X marking the location of the buried treasure is one of the most familiar pirate props", yet it is entirely a fictional invention which owes its origin to Stevenson's original map. The term "Treasure Island" has passed into the language as a common phrase, and is often used as a title for games, rides, places, etc.

It is said that the Virgin Islands were used as the setting for "Treasure Island."

Interested to know the summary of the Treasure Island and the characters involved? Click here

Source: Scott catalog and Wikipedia