"Hoist the Colours!"

 As you will see, I have a love of reading the old, timeless classics of literature ranging from
Shakespeare to Jane Austen. For now, I'll tell about the last one I most recently read for the first time. Since I saw the 1990 version of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island", I've been captivated and taken by the whole thing and immediately went out to Barnes & Noble to buy a copy.

     By the way, I highly recommend watching the 1990 version with Christian Bale and Charlton Heston for the best and most accurate movie adaptation. I could only find it on ebay since it's quite rare and not well known (though it should be) but it was well worth it and is one of my favorites.

      But moving on, I must say for anyone who hasn't read it, and is a Pirates of the Caribbean, 18th century Georgian era, maritime, pirates, or any fan of the sort as I am, this is a must read!

illustration by N.C. Wyeth

     Now I'm actually working on a replica of Flint's map of Treasure Island done in pen and ink on parchment paper that I will post as soon as I'm finished. Here is a source I used as reference if you don't know what it looks like.
     Fun fact: there are many many comparisons I noticed between the book and Pirates of the Caribbean. To name one, watch the first part of The Dead Man's Chest where Joshamee Gibbs sings a little tune aboard the Black Pearl. These are the lyrics taken from "Treasure Island":

                "Fifteen men on the dead man's chest-

                       Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

                Drink and the devil had done for the rest-

                      Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"

Recognize it? Well that's just one little comparison found just on the first page of the book. The terms "black spot" and "pieces of eight" have a significant role as well.

    Throughout, I also had to constantly look up nautical terms I'd never heard of. I am also trying to culminate a vocabulary and knowledge of sea faring terms and parts of a ship. I might post from time to time a new word I learned or insight on a particular vessel or event in maritime history for anyone interested to learn about such things. Did you know a jolly-boat, gig, long boat, coracle, skiff, and dinghy are relatively the same thing! They're all basically a boat kept on a ship used for shore landing parties, rescue missions, escapes from mutineers, patrols, and towing.

   My personal favorite character and our brave hero of the story is one such Jim Hawkins, who starts out living peacefully in Georgian England with his parents in keeping the old Admiral Benbow Inn, but is soon taken along on the voyage to Treasure Island. He at first, ironically, is appointed as a mere cabin boy to the Hispanola to sail to Treasure Island, but ends up playing the most significant role and most crucial to the party's rescue from the island. While possessing a heart of true morality and honesty, Jim's bravery and especially loyalty are a thing for the others to live up to.