An irresistible invitation to reject the work ethic and enjoy life''s simple pleasures (such as laughing, drinking and lying in the open air), Robert Louis Stevenson''s witty and seminal essay on the joys of idleness is accompanied here by his writings on, among other things, growing old, visiting unpleasant places and the overwhelming experience of falling in love. br>br>Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are>
Set at the time of the Jacobite uprising, The Master of Ballantrae tells of a family divided. James Durie, Master of Ballantrae, abandons his ancestral home to support the Scottish rebellion - leaving his younger brother Henry, who is faithful to the English crown, to inherit the title of Lord Durrisdeer. But he is to return years later, embittered by battles and a savage life of piracy on the high seas, to demand his inheritance. Turning the people against the Lord, he begins a savage feud with his brother that will lead the pair from the Scottish Highlands to the American Wilderness. Satanic and seductive, the Master was regarded by Stevenson as ''all I know of the devil''; his darkly manipulative schemes dominate this subtle and compelling tragedy.br>br>This edition takes as its text the Edinburgh Edition of the novel, the last approved by the author. The introduction considers the novel''s inspiration and its place as one of Stevenson''s greatest studies in cruelty.>
