A treasure map is found in old sailor's sea chest who once served under the pirate Captain Flint. Following the former pirate's death, young Jim Hawkins, Dr. Livesey, Squire Trelawney, and Captain Smollett set sail aboard the Hispaniola to find Treasure Island off the coast of South America. One of the world's most enduring adventure stories of pirates sailing to exotic islands, singing Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

Treasure Island marks Stevenson's mastery of tone, pace, and vocabulary. The idea for the story initially began with a watercolour map designed as part of an intricate adventure game for his stepson. As the novel gradually evolved, Stevenson regularly shared portions of the work-in-progress with friends and relatives, taking their comments into account. The novel was first published in serial form in Young Folks' Magazine under the title 'The Sea Cook'

Treasure Island has received praise for its skilful plotting and pacing of action, its articulation of colourful characters, and its evocative setting. Much criticism of the novel has been concerned with the work's affinities with and departures from the familiar conventions of the prose romance, and specifically, adventure fiction.