The merry men, and other tales and fables. Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. By Robert Louis Stevenson. 1908 [Leather Bound]

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden Leaf Printing on round Spine (extra customization on request like complete leather, Golden Screen printing in Front, Color Leather, Colored book etc.) Reprinted in 2018 with the help of original edition published long back [1908]. This book is printed in black & white, sewing binding for longer life, printed on high quality Paper, re-sized as per Current standards, professionally processed without changing its contents. As these are old books, we processed each page manually and make them readable but in some cases some pages which are blur or missing or black spots. If it is multi volume set, then it is only single volume, if you wish to order a specific or all the volumes you may contact us. We expect that you will understand our compulsion in these books. We found this book important for the readers who want to know more about our old treasure so we brought it back to the shelves. Hope you will like it and give your comments and suggestions. - eng, Pages 436. EXTRA 10 DAYS APART FROM THE NORMAL SHIPPING PERIOD WILL BE REQUIRED FOR LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. COMPLETE LEATHER WILL COST YOU EXTRA US$ 25 APART FROM THE LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. {FOLIO EDITION IS ALSO AVAILABLE.} Complete The merry men, and other tales and fables. Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. By Robert Louis Stevenson. 1908 Stevenson, Robert Louis, -.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Horror, Short Stories, Gothic, Fantasy, Mystery

436 pages, Leather Bound

First published January 1, 1887

About the author

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.

Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.

Reviews

[Ria · Rating 3 out of 5]

⚫ The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: 5/5
Sooo it took me like 5 months to finish this. Look I read like 10 pages in October, 20 in December and the rest in March. I was just not in the mood for gothic horror. I should have totally reread this but it’s me so I didn’t. That being said, I don’t really have anything to say because I didn’t keep notes. I want to comment on this tho:
I saw articles where people mentioned that there may have been homosexual innuendos. I tots get why people think that the male characters may have been gay. I mean almost no women, the men really enjoying the company of other men... Look I don’t know if it’s true or not. I only know 1 thing and that is:


⚫ The Merry Men: 3/5
Oh no this black man is chasing me.

⚫ Will o' the Mill: 3/5


⚫ Markheim: 2.8/5
Don’t forget to buy presents I guess.

⚫ Thrawn Janet: 2?/5
Yay Scottish dialect! Shit is not even 10pages long.


⚫ Olalla: 4/5


⚫ The Treasure of Franchard: 3/5
Yyeeahhh… sooo… Jekyll and Hyde is his only good work. Is that a hot take? Probably not but I also don’t care.

Shit was like 3€ so it was worth it I guess. I just wanted to read Jekyll.

[Jo (The Book Geek) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book, as really, I was only interested in reading Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but I ended up reading the short stories that followed afterwards, too. My favourite in this collection was in fact, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Something that stands out, and quite impresses me, is that Stevenson wrote this book about an individual, and the conflicting parts of their personality, in a time when the subject matter was a pretty grey area. The writing though, really didn't thrill me. The impression I received while reading this, is a lot of it seems to be in a sort of note form, and I felt as if I was in the middle of a dull conversation with someone. I honestly think, that being a short story, it could have been made a lot more intriguing, if Stevenson had explored and developed his characters further, I might have took more away from it. The other stories contained in this were not as good as the first. I found The merry men to be quite bizarre, and I had trouble reading it. That said, this is a decent short story collection, and the front cover is marvellous. A great addition to my already heaving bookcase!

[mina · Rating 3 out of 5]

buddy read with Althea, Michelle, Bopeep, and May
↠3.5

I expected to love this however, that didn’t happen, which is a shame as this is a thought-provoking theme. The case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde being famous didn’t help either because, even though I haven’t read the book, I knew about the twist. Even though I didn’t love it, I enjoyed the last chapter that was a letter Jekyll has written.

I liked how there was an age difference between Jekyll and Hyde, showing which side the whole Jekyll had used for most of his life and which had been underdeveloped. That reminded me of the story of the two wolves. That in a person exist two wolves, and the one that you feed the most wins.

And even when Jekyll’s evil persona is separated from him, he’s still not the good side. He revels in the bad things Hyde does and doesn’t feel sorry, I mean he even is enjoying the fact that he can do those bad things and get away with them.

I liked the wordplay, Hyde=Hide.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

"All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil"

Along with the titular story of this collection there are another six short stories: The Merry Men, Will O' The Mill, Markheim, Thrawn Janet, Olalla and The Treasure of Flanchard. As with all of the short story collections that I've read I felt that some were good whilst others were less so.

I will concentrate my review on 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', a classic science fiction/fantasy story which was first published in 1886 and one that I’m assuming that most people will be familiar with, meaning whatever I won't have to be on spoiler alert.

Gabriel Utterson, a lawyer, sets out to investigate strange relationship between his friend the good Dr. Henry Jekyll and the mysterious and malevolent Edward Hyde. One strange occurrence happens after another and as probably everyone here already knows, it turns out that Mr. Hyde is actually an alter-ego for Dr Jekyll. Jekyll has a wild side to his personality and has found a potion which brings that portion of himself, Mr Hyde, to the surface. The story is an exploration of the dual side of human nature and the consequences of giving in to temptation and your darker side.

There are a lot of interesting things about the situation, the dual nature and dual motivations but unfortunately, we don’t actually get to find any out any of the details until about 2/3 of the way through the story. Perhaps this was only really frustrating because I already knew what the secret was but whatever the reason I found the first 2/3 of the tale incredibly slow and overall the story was something of a disappointment. By today's standards certainly, it is extremely tame and I think that this is one of the few occasions where I preferred the cinematic version more.

Of the other stories I loved 'The Merry Men' even if the local colloquialisms did take a bit of effort, I found 'The Treasure of Flanchard' highly amusing despite wanting to throttle the main character whilst I felt that although the other four stories had a certain intrinsic value but I simply enjoyed them less.

[razzmataz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woooooo I finally finished! I will say the extreme irony of this book is that it was the shortest I have read in a while yet somehow also the longest time I’ve taken to read a book in the last couple of years... I’ve wanted to read Jekyll and Hyde for a while due to its seemingly omnipresent influence in pop culture and I was not disappointed! I thoroughly enjoyed the story and it’s philosophical and ethical twists and I wanted to read more. I did not expect the full extent of how difficult it is to properly read written Scottish dialect however 😂 my brain felt like it was in self destruct mode every time I attempted to piece together a sentence. Aside from that, there were a few other good stories in here! I really enjoyed Markheim because I’m a total sucker for a 50 page monologue on eternal misery and self doubt, plus it subverted my expectations for this type of storytelling genre of the time. The last story the treasure of Franchard, was unusual but rapidly got better and at times reminded me slightly of an Oscar Wildesque type story. So in short, even though it took me an age and my brain melted a decent few times, I actually quite enjoyed this collection and was surprised at what the author of Treasure Island could bring to the table.

[Silvia (Library Unbounded) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories - probably the best I've read so far (though not being a fan of short fiction definitely affected my enjoyment).
I picked it up initially for "Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde" only, but decided to read through all stories and I am so happy I did! Each story had a paranormal twist and kept me curious till the end. Mind you, nearly all have a sort of an open ending, so beware if that's not something you enjoy.

My favorite stories were "Olalla", "Will O' the Mill" and "The Treasure of Franchard".

[Killian De Geest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will o' the mill was mooi, markheim en the treasure of Franchard ook. De rest was meh

[Jack · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst thing about this book is that I enjoyed it. But sadly it will always be ruined for me due to the sheer incompetence of all English teachers nationwide. How they managed to make a book with 51 pages feel like an eternity is beyond me. Going round the classroom getting everyone to read a page out loud whilst they sat on their phones. Give me a break. How about you do your bloody job and read it to us you work shy morons. Unsurprisingly (without having to listen to someone with the reading skills of an infant stumble their way through a page in 20 minutes) I finished reading this in an afternoon with plenty of time between chapters to ponder on where my life went wrong and why happiness still eludes me. As a result, my completely biased analysis is as follows:

From what I can gather Hyde is just a short king who can’t pull so goes on a murder spree. Probably could have just hit the gym or something first but everyone is different I guess. In fairness to him there wasn’t a 24-hour pure gym so what else is he supposed to do at 11 pm other than smack a bitch up.

This Utterson guy though does my bloody crust in. Absolute busybody. Leave the investigation to the police mate and have a day off you sodding jobsworth. Nevermind “if he be Mr Hyde I shall be Mr Seek” goes so hard that he’s forgiven for sticking his nose into other people’s business.

Dr Jekyll though is an absolute wasteman and an embarrassment to the scientific community, cooking up a dodgy potion and downing it like he’s on a Wednesday night social. Get a grip mate. Complete nepo baby who takes the easy way out like a bitch too. You deserve to rot in jail you speccy tory twat.

1/5. Sorry Robert mate you deserve better

[Fie Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Jekyll and mr Hyde:
Great perspectives on the line between “back-stage” and “front-stage”, the difference in who we show others and who we are when we are alone.

The merry men:
I barely remember this story, but it really does show how guilt can wreck a person.
A little side note; I really hate how the devil appears as a black man, though it shows a consensus of the time.

Will o’ the mill:
Will went from a boy driven to discover the world to a man who never wanted to leave his home town. However, I do think that his real adventure began at the end, when he embraced death like an old friend.

Markheim:
Markheim throws his life away for evil, and hates to look himself in the mirror because of this. However, that doesn’t stop him, and when faced with the devil he admits to his crime, but if he really accepts the consequences, we’ll never know.

Thrawn Janet:
Do not ask me a single question. I understood about half of this short story due to the accent it was written in…

Olalla:
Poor Olalla. What even is that family. I am confused. And how could the main character find himself so at peace after just a few days??

The treasure of franchard:
Great perspectives on theft, I think. Again, a little weird family dynamic.

Overall I really had to get used to the 1880’es language and RL Stevenson’s writing style. Great stories, but I will definitely need to read them again - at least once or twice more to fully understand them.

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read this for Jekyll & Hyde but Will O' The Mill was surprisingly sweet

[Léa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[Shrapnel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: 5 stars
The Merry Men: 1 star
Will O' the Mill: 3 stars
Markheim: 3 stars
Thrawn Janet: 2 stars
Olalla: 3 stars
Treasure of Franchard: 3 stars

[Coenraad]

This is a famous story that most people know, either through retelling or through movie versions. I wonder how many people have actually read the original text. The language use is clearly of its time: long sentences, with long phrases, very formal and precise and socially determined. It creates a hindrance for the reader of our times: one has to become used to the circumlocution and the many words. But, once the reader can decode the meaning without struggling with the language as such, the reading becomes easy and the story becomes enthralling. And in our day of very advanced research in medical and other fields, including genetic manipulation and artificial intelligence, Stevenson’s short novel contains a serious warning: do we foresee the results of our tinkering? And even when we do have a clear idea, do we care enough to prevent awful things from happening?

Ek wonder hoeveel mense het al hierdie bekende verhaal gelees, al ken die meeste mense die basiese strekking van die gebeure. Stevenson se negentiende-eeuse taalgebruik is aanvanklik ’n leesversperring, maar sodra ’n mens gewoond geraak het aan die woordryke en formele styl, word die storie meevoerend. In ons tyd van gevorderde navorsing kan ons steeds ’n ernstige waarskuwing in hierdie storie vind: weet ons waarheen ons navorsing ons gaan lei?

[In our school system in South Africa, matrics (students in their final school year) must compile a list of seven books that they have read by themselves and present it for the moderation of their English oral marks. Most students these days are too busy to get through War and peace or A suitable boy, but there are books that are significant enough to be on these lists, but can be read in a day. To inspire and to demonstrate, I am reading seven such books during a two-week holiday. Separate reviews about the other six are to be found on my Goodreads account.]

[Jules Farrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Caught my eye]
A great anthology of short stories for autumn - gothic and spooky! Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was a standout, the duality of man is so fascinating and even though I knew the twist I was still hooked. I quite enjoyed the Merry Men as well, not much of a story but stories about shipwrecks are my fave.
The others were decent, but I didn't feel compelled to finish them in one sitting. I've taken lots of notes though, will likely come back to this review once I've given it some more thought.

[João Esteves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - 3,5

The Merry Men - 3/5
Will O' the Mill - 3/5
Markheim - 3/5
Thrawn Janet - 4/5
Olalla - 2/5
The Treasure of Franchard - 3/5

[g · Rating 3 out of 5]

hyde is a devious little man

[motna · Rating 3 out of 5]

creative racism bro

[Kostas · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Robert Louis Stevenson’s short writing career it is certain that we cannot help but admire him for his great style and his imagination as he wrote some of the most classic children's stories that have passed through the centuries and have managed to remain, even today, quite well-known.
However, one of the most important stories of Stevenson’s career, which came to him - even if it was somewhat strange - through a dream, is definitely ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ as he created one of the most famed personalities that left its mark in the Horror genre.
Along in this volume we see also and Stevenson’s 1887 collection, ‘The Merry Men & Other Tales and Fables’; a collection of stories of mystery, crime and madness.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The story of this novella follows Utterson, a lawyer and close friend of Dr Jekyll’s, as, after an unfortunate incident, he discovers along with his cousin that Hyde, a strange and an entirely unusual guy, lives in Dr Jekyll’s residence. But, despite his efforts to discover his origins, he will discover that Hyde is a much more mysterious personality than he had expected.
However, all that will change when after a horrendous incident he will have to seek Hyde and bring him to justice. Only that, what he will discover later is something, entirely, unreal and he will find himself against with something that he would had never believed possible and will change his life forever.

I must admit that before this novella I hadn’t had the chance before to read any of Stevenson’s stories. Nevertheless though, the story proves that it certainly deserves its fame as Stevenson has managed to create one of the strongest, and most important, personalities in the history of the Horror genre and to make, through his characters, a magnificent atmosphere.
Coming to its end I must say that it, indeed, leaves with a feeling that it could, certainly, have been developed a little more if Stevenson wanted it, but either way we cannot help but admire him for his ideas and for his, truly, unique and wonderful style. 8/10

The Merry Men
The second story of this collection focuses on Charles who, after his studies in Edinburgh, returns to his home in Aros, an isolated isle at the coasts of Scotland, to seek the treasures of a lost Spanish Armada.
However, Aros is an isle that is well-known for its wild waves and when a ship, as he will discover that is seeking too these lost treasures, gets caught in the waves of “The Merry Men” he will find himself against with his peculiar Uncle, and also with a black man that he believes he is the Devil himself.

It is a story, I could say, of mystery and madness with Stevenson showing his influences from his travel to the Isle of Erraid who went with his father when he was a young kid. As far as it comes to his writing it still remains quite good but, even though I certainly can’t say that it is a great story, what stands out here is Stevenson's, wonderful, descriptions that show his love and his passion for the sea. 7/10

Will O 'the Mill
The third story focuses on Will, a young man who lives with his foster parents in an isolated village in the mountains, and who dreams from his childhood to seek his own adventures in the world. But one day, as he will meet a traveller, he will begin to see things with a different perspective and, renouncing any commitment of marriage and of the life itself, he find himself on a lonely path that would later put him in Death’s hands.

It is a sad, and slightly strange, story but, even though Stevenson tries to pass some philosophical messages, it greatly lacks both with its plot and with this, particular, protagonist as we see him going through the stages of life and renouncing everything. 6/10

Markheim
The next story focuses on Markheim who, after being late to get a Christmas present for his girlfriend, finds himself in an antique shop. Only, despite the dealer’s good will to sell to him a rare item, he will be faced with a murder and with an, unusual, creature that will try to offer him back his life as he knew it and discharge him of his vicious acts.

It’s a story of an unspeakable murder that manages to combine pretty well also and the supernatural element with Stevenson putting the protagonist in an internal battle of Good-vs-Evil. It is definitely not an impressive story as much as ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, but it is cleverly enough written as to become in the end, at least, satisfying. 6.5//10

Thrawn Janet
This story follows, through an unnamed narrator, the events of Reverend Soulis in a small village as he comes up against with a witch that he believes she is possessed by the Devil himself.

This story is, one of the two that Stevenson wrote, completely in the Scottish dialect and this will, perhaps, make it a little more difficult than it actually is (especially for those who will read it in its original form). Nevertheless, it is a fairly small and quite strange story with a, relatively, good central idea but without succeeding to impress as much as the rest stories of this collection. 5/10

Olalla
The next story follows an, unnamed, soldier who, after recovering from his wounds from the battle of the Peninsular War, will be sent to reside temporarily with a noble family. Only that in this house he will discover that something very odd is happening and he will be faced with a beautiful girl, that he could not help but fall in love with her, and also with an unusual creature that its only desire is to drink his blood.

It is a very beautiful story, written in the same wonderful style as ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, and with Stevenson creating an, incredibly, dreamlike atmosphere. It is definitely one of the best stories in this collection and personally, I believe, perhaps also and the most magical one that Stevenson wrote in his career. 8.5/10

The Treasure of Franchard
The last story is a little different from the rest of this collection as it is the only one that doesn’t have any supernatural element.
It follows Desprez, a provincial French doctor who, after an accident with a stable-master, meets an orphan child and, seeing that he is much wittier than he shows, he will invite him to stay in his home.
However, Desprez is a man who always wanted to build his simple life to something better and when, luckily, he discovers a lost treasure in an deserted place his dreams perhaps might come true. But when, after a strange incident, this treasure disappears as suddenly as it came the young Jean-Marie will find himself against with the guiltiness of this theft, and also with the possibility to return once again back to his orphan life. Only that, what Desprez hadn’t counted on is that when one day his fate turns against him, the young Jean-Marie will surprise him with the most unique way and will show him something that he had forgotten.

The story, even though it doesn’t have any supernatural elements, proves a very beautiful and sweet story as Stevenson takes us through the life of that era in France, and showing us that there can be love even when you least expect it. It’s a beautiful story and, probably, the sweetest of all too. 7.5/10

Closing, I would only add that this collection has certainly a quite different variety of stories, with some being good and others not so much, but most of them, definitely, show Stevenson’s true talent and, that, I believe makes the biggest difference here.

[Miss Jaggers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde 4,5/5

The Merry Men 4/5

Will o' The Mill 4/5

Markheim 3,5/5

Thrawn Janet 3,5/5

Olalla 3,5/5

The Treasure of Franchard 4,5/5

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undoubtedly this is a compelling and interesting novella that I read in one sitting. I wish it was fleshed out more heavily to allow me to stay in the story for longer.

[Feleena Michie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only read this for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde not bothered about the other stories included in it but I feel like I’m missing something I don’t understand what I just read

[Τριανταφυλλιά · Rating 3 out of 5]

7. Thrawn Janet
6. The treasure of franchard
5. The merry men
4. Will o' the mill
3. Markheim
2. Olalla
1. The strange case of Dr jekyll and Mr Hyde

[Cara McGrade 🇮🇪 · Rating 3 out of 5]

dnf

I bought it because I thought it was just dr jekyll and mr hyde, which i enjoyed.

unfortunately it did not end there, and the rest was not half as impressive. I found the merry men and other stories to be dull.

[Vrixton Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've got a running theory that 1) Utterson is an unreliable narrator and completely lying about the other two narratives to cover for his racist, imperialist views AND the fact that Jekyll named him heir to his fortune. 2) Hyde is Jekyll's mixed-race son [where is the Jekyll/Hyde "Wide Sargasso Sea" spinoff?] 3) he's violent and angry because it's Victorian England and everyone's racist af and keep looking at him funny. 4) MP Carew probably got what was coming to him.

But in more mainstream terms, it's an okay read. A good yarn, a bit wordy, a bit much in places, I'd say this 54-page story could probably be a tight 30; even shorter if it were written today, but you probably wouldn't get that great atmosphere of RLS describing the different shades of brown smog in Soho and the streetlights that never get put out in the morning because of the area's [implied] lawlessness [not to mention all those dirty "women of different nations" amirite? ugh. The Sun couldn't set on the British Empire fast enough. Good riddance.]
As I said, a decent read. Glad I finally got around to reading it.

[Mason Forsyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This personally was a highlight of Yr10 English lessons for me. Whether it was in my final exams or not, I can’t remember so could have been another waste of time however, still enjoyable despite Mrs Bains attempt to ruin it for me out of pure hatred, by making the illiterate people read it out.

A short read filled with so many character dynamics is a credit to Stevenson as a writer.

The duality of man is obviously the main theme of this book and asks us to search deeper in ourselves to question our wants and desires and how far we are willing to go for them. I often wonder (never thought about until now) what RLS had going on in his head to question such things.

This being written 2 years before Jack the Ripper came about hints to the fact that it was used as inspiration for Mr Ripper and have him the inspiration to chase his desires. Similarly, the duality of Jekyll and Hyde and inspiration taken by Mr Ripper and his unknown day to day life really adds to the theories of it being a member of an upper class family.

Certainly deserving of a reread on my behalf.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed parts of this book, but some of Stevenson's short stories aren't for me, here is my review broken down book by book:

Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde: An essential read for anyone who cares for literature, or Stevenson, yet I do find the last chapter especially unnecessary. 7/10
The Merry Men: A decent read, but if you have trouble reading Scottish, which Stevenson loves to write in, it might be worth a miss. 6/10
Will O' the Mill: Another decent read but largely forgettable. 6/10
Markheim: One of the better stories here, probably on par with DJ&MH. 7/10
Thrawn Janet: Refer to my comment about Scottish again. I just skimmed this one. 4/10
Olalla: One of my two favourites from the book, an interesting look at/allegory for romance. 8/10
The Treasure of Franchard: My other favourite, due to it being an interesting look out how philosophy can help/hinder your life. 8/10

Overall: A mixture of good short stories, but some are worth a read, whereas others, just aren't. 6.5/10

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde - 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this, but I already knew the story so well that it was nothing new for me.

The Merry Men - 4 stars. This had everything I love in a story - the atmosphere was great, I loved the plot and the concept.

Will O' The Mill - 2.5 stars. A beautiful story with a lot of meaning, but it just didn't do anything for me.

Markheim - 2 stars. Expected it to be one of my favourites, as I loved the idea, but it was too short and lacked substance for me.

Thrawn Janet - 2 stars. Like Markheim, I was expecting to love this one, but it was a struggle to get through.

Olalla - 4 stars. I love vampire stories, and this one was no exception. One of my favourites in the collection.

The Treasure of Franchard - 1 star. I had to force myself to finish this for the sake of completion

[Itziar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not finish with the last story The treasure of Franchard since I did not find it interesting after so many short stories in this compilation, I have also found it sort of repetitive. All in all I have enjoyed it pretty much and really appreciated the two stories written in Scottish The merry men and Thrawn Janet being the later my favorite story in this book. While reading these two stories I did not know, however, wheter to laugh or to cry; above all when I began with the first one and since I got used to the dialect. I am glad I have studied Swedish and German dialectoly, so I could get into Scottish... Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is with no doubt a masterpiece and it is a shame I could not enjoy it that much because I already knew the plot.

[Tanel-Enn Reiman · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
Interesting how old horror/thriller stories are, to the modern desensitized reader, merely gentle spooky tales.

I can only appreciate this book for the classic as it is.
It doesn't speak to me on a personal level or offer me any extraordinary ideas.

That said, I like that Mr Hyde was not portrayed as evil, just strangely deformed - not a monster that takes over a decent man, but an inseparable part of him that he even enjoys channeling his repressed curiosities through. That and a few other details gave the read an interesting touch.

My copy had short stories as a bonus - my favorite was the peaceful and introspective "Will o' the Mill". He was the only character from Stevens' stories that I felt was actually somewhat likable.

[Olivia Simmonds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde only covered 20% of the book, the rest was the other stories. Sadly I hated the other stories, they seemed to be forgettable and often difficult to understand. I think it took a long time for me to read this as I really didn't want to pick it up again. I would like to read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde again to see if my rating were biased because of the other stories. Overall not an enjoyable collection of stories for light reading.