The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stonehenge Classics)

***International Classic Best Seller By The Author Of Kidnapped And Treasure Island

Millions of copies sold world wide

"One of the bestof the Victorian era!"

Robert Louis Stevenson's most popular book***

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a fascinating tale of split personalities. Dr. Jekyll is a "large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty with something of a slyish cast", who occasionally feels he is battling between the good and evil within himself, thus leading to the struggle between his dual personalities of Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. He has spent a great part of his life trying to repress evil urges that were not fitting for a man of his stature. He creates a serum, or potion, in an attempt to mask this hidden evil within his personality. However, in doing so, Jekyll transforms into the smaller, younger, cruel, remorseless, evil Hyde. Jekyll has many friends and has an amiable personality, but as Hyde, he becomes mysterious and violent. As time goes by, Hyde grows in power. After taking the potion repetitively, he no longer relies upon it to unleash his inner demon i.e., his alter ego. Eventually, Hyde grows so strong that Jekyll becomes reliant on the potion to remain conscious.

A series of unsolved crimes ensues, and no one suspects the reserved, successful doctor of being the perpetrator.

As the story unfolds, Dr. Jekyll has increasing difficulty hiding his double life and it appears that he enjoys his excursions into crime and cruelty. The tale comes to a dramatic climax as he seeks a final resolution to his dilemma.

This classic tale is commonly credited as an influence in modern fiction, movie and television characters such as Dexter, The Hulk, Batman and other superheroes that struggle with shadow aspects of their personalities.

Author Biography

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (13 November 1850 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer. His most famous works are Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr, Jekyll and Mr, Hyde.

A literary celebrity during his lifetime, Stevenson now ranks among the 26 most translated authors in the world. Many other writers, including Jorge Luis Borges, Marcel Proust, Arthur Conan Doyle, Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, Jack London, J. M. Barrie, and G. K. Chesterton, have admired his works.

Born in Scotland to stalwart working class parents, young Stevenson broke away from his conservative roots and ventured into the world to enjoy the bohemian lifestyle. He wrote in maniacal fashion at times, and some literary experts suspect that his energy was fueled by cocaine and the use of other drugs.

Stevenson used the money from his success as an author to establish an estate on the island of Samoa. His lifelong health struggles overcame him at last at age 44 and he died of a cerebral hemorrhage. The Samoans insisted on surrounding his body with a watch-guard during the night and on bearing him upon their shoulders to nearby Mount Vaea, where they buried him on a spot overlooking the sea.

About the Publisher

Stonehenge Classics was founded by authors Jacob Nordby and Aaron Patterson to restore timeless classics for the digital age and provide modern readers with new reasons to rediscover books that connect us to our past treasures of truth, beauty, and wisdom.

More Titles in the Stonehenge Classics Literature Series

don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes
Call of the Wild Jack London
Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson
Kidnapped Robert Louis Stevenson
The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas
Dracula Bram Stoker
A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Washington Irving
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carrol

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