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Treasure Island is a classic adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks from October 1881 to January 1882 under the title The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys (or Treasure Island; or, the mutiny of the Hispaniola) and using the pseudonym "Captain George North." It was first published in book form on November 14, 1883, by Cassell & Co., marking Stevenson's breakthrough commercial and critical success. The idea originated in the summer of 1881 in Braemar, Scotland, during a rainy period when Stevenson, inspired by drawing a treasure map to entertain his 12-year-old stepson Lloyd Osbourne, began crafting a thrilling tale of buccaneers, buried gold, mutiny, and a derelict ship. Drawing influences from earlier works like Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Washington Irving's pirate tales, Edgar Allan Poe's stories, and Captain Charles Johnson's A General History of the Pyrates, Stevenson created a vivid, action-packed narrative set in the 18th century. The book popularized many enduring pirate tropes in popular culture—such as treasure maps marked with an "X," deserted islands, one-legged sailors with parrots, and the black spot—and remains a cornerstone of adventure and coming-of-age literature for readers of all ages.

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