Robert Louis Stevenson 
The Black Arrow 

Originally published serially in 1883 and then as a book in 1888, Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Black Arrow” is a thrilling and fascinating tale set during the fifteenth-century War of the Roses. Stevenson, a Scottish novelist, poet and essayist, greatly influenced authors such as Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, and J. M. Barrie. His most famous works include “Treasure Island”, also published in 1883, and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, published in 1886. “The Black Arrow” is a tale comparable to his most famous works, the plot swiftly carried by thrilling suspense and narrow escapes. Set during the Middle Ages, the story centers on the struggles and adventures of Richard (Dick) Shelton during the conflict between the houses of York and Lancaster in England, known as the War of the Roses. Dick becomes caught up in the politics of this turbulent time as he attempts to find justice for the murder of his father and rescue his love, the beautiful Joanna Sedley. A timeless and romantic tale, Stevenson also depicts the harsh conditions of life in the fifteenth-century as well as the horrors of civil war and unrest. This edition includes a biographical afterword.