{"product_id":"an-apology-for-idlers-and-other-essays-paperback","title":"An Apology for Idlers and Other Essays - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMatthew Kaiser\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eRobert Louis Stevenson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough we know him primarily as the charismatic author of \u003cem\u003eTreasure Island\u003c\/em\u003e (1883), \u003cem\u003eKidnapped\u003c\/em\u003e (1886), \u003cem\u003eStrange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde\u003c\/em\u003e (1886), and \u003cem\u003eA Child's Garden of Verses\u003c\/em\u003e (1885), Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) began his career as a witty and innovative essayist. This collection includes a selection of fifteen of Stevenson's most poignant, amusing and personal essays on subjects such as deep-sea diving off the coast of Scotland, child's play, death, the medieval poet-thief Fran ois Villon, surreal San Francisco, insomnia, and Stevenson's quirky enjoyment of \"unpleasant places.\" \u003cem\u003eAn Apology for Idlers and Other Essays\u003c\/em\u003e includes some of Stevenson's most beloved pieces and lesser-known works that have long been out of print. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Stevenson called himself \"a literary vagrant.\" His vagabond spirit and self-deprecation transformed the modern essay. Brimming with esoterica and irony, his essays resist the industrious pace of modern life, entrancing the reader with diverting asides, celebrating the lost art of letting our minds wander. \"Look at one of your industrious fellows for a moment,\" Stevenson beseeches us, \"he sows hurry and reaps indigestion.\" In our increasingly fast-paced world, Stevenson's ethic of idleness can feel simultaneously necessary and alien. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eAn Apology for Idlers and Other Essays\u003c\/em\u003e features an introduction by editor Matthew Kaiser, which provides rich background information on both Stevenson and the titular essay. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e One of the few scholarly editions of Stevenson's essays, this meticulously annotated collection is well suited for courses on Stevenson, Scottish literature, late-Victorian literature, life writing, and the art of the essay.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMatthew Kaiser\u003c\/strong\u003e is an associate professor and chair of English at the University of California, Merced. He is the author of \u003cem\u003eThe World in Play: Portraits of a Victorian Concept \u003c\/em\u003e(Stanford University Press, 2012), the translator of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's \u003cem\u003eVenus in Furs \u003c\/em\u003e(Cognella, 2017) and the editor of seven books, including Alan Dale's \u003cem\u003eA Marriage Below Zero\u003c\/em\u003e (Cognella, 2011) and the forthcoming \u003cem\u003eA Cultural History of Comedy in the Age of Empire\u003c\/em\u003e (Bloomsbury, 2019).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 206\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.44 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 19, 2017\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42116267704455,"sku":"9781516521647","price":83.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/ed371e1bfb7aa335f939b1343166a8a8.webp?v=1732515175","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/an-apology-for-idlers-and-other-essays-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}