Dead Man's Chest

'Delightful . . . the ideal book to take with you on holiday.' Independent

'Rankin is a wizard of digression and cross-reference . . . He is a natural sleuth, writes well in slim nuggety paragraphs, and he teaches us a great deal about Stevenson en route.' Richard Holmes

First published to widespread acclaim in 1987, Nicholas Rankin's account of a journey in pursuit of Robert Louis Stevenson has won plaudits ever since for its blend of scholarship and flair.

Through Europe and America, from the Highlands of Scotland to the islands of the Pacific, Rankin explores an offbeat and enthralling trail, charting how a Scottish bohemian became an honorary chief among the Samoans, and how a European aesthete turned to Pacific politics.

At once a pioneering travel book, an eye-opening biography and a critical reassessment of a remarkable man of letters, Dead Man's Chest is a unique and absorbing study of one of the most influential figures in the English-speaking world.