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Essays of Travel
Excerpt from Essays of Travel
The last particular in which the second cabin pas senger remarkably stands ahead of his brother of the steerage is one altogether of sentiment. In the steerage there are males and females; in the second cabin ladies and gentlemen. For some time after I came aboard I thought I was onlya male but in the course of a voyage of discovery between decks, I came on a brass plate, and learned that I was still a gentleman. Nobody knew it, of course. I was lost in the crowd of males and females, and rigorously confined to the same quarter of the deck. Who could tell whether I housed on the port or star board side of steerage No. 2 and 3? And it was only there that my superiority became practical; everywhere else I was incognito, moving among my inferiors with Simplicity, not so much as a swagger to indicate that I was a gentleman after all, and had broken meat to tea. Still, I was like one with a patent of nobility in a drawer at home and when I felt out of spirits I could go down and refresh myself with a look of that brass plate.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
The last particular in which the second cabin pas senger remarkably stands ahead of his brother of the steerage is one altogether of sentiment. In the steerage there are males and females; in the second cabin ladies and gentlemen. For some time after I came aboard I thought I was onlya male but in the course of a voyage of discovery between decks, I came on a brass plate, and learned that I was still a gentleman. Nobody knew it, of course. I was lost in the crowd of males and females, and rigorously confined to the same quarter of the deck. Who could tell whether I housed on the port or star board side of steerage No. 2 and 3? And it was only there that my superiority became practical; everywhere else I was incognito, moving among my inferiors with Simplicity, not so much as a swagger to indicate that I was a gentleman after all, and had broken meat to tea. Still, I was like one with a patent of nobility in a drawer at home and when I felt out of spirits I could go down and refresh myself with a look of that brass plate.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
245 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1905
32 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Robert Louis Stevenson
4,908 books7,011 followersRobert 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 28, 2026
As always, I find both the writing of Stevenson, as well as the personality of his which comes through these essays, to be very soothing and satisfying. Like travel itself, this collection doesn't smack you with drama, but immerses you in something that is wonderful if you take the time to look around you. While I had already read a few of these particular essays in other collections, revisiting them was simply like trodding a favored pathway again to a well-known vista that nevertheless still gives pleasure, and sometimes new details.
I continue to be convinced that Stevenson is an author with whom I would have greatly enjoyed spending time, especially on the road.
I continue to be convinced that Stevenson is an author with whom I would have greatly enjoyed spending time, especially on the road.
April 3, 2018
I have said good-bye to people for greater distances and times, and, please God, I mean to see them yet again.
RLS is just one of the most magical writers I've ever had the pleasure of reading. His best known works are all fiction, but here, in his Essays of Travel lies the key to his skill: he understands people.
This collection is what it says it is. Stevenson traveled pretty extensively, though if I remember correctly, most of this book is taken up by France, England, and the United States, and on his journeys he acted as a witness to those around him. His physical descriptions of people are beautiful, but more than that, he paints the core of their being with such vivid prose. This was something I read very slowly, picking up only when I was ready to be lulled by his words, and I definitely don't suggest trying to power through it as quickly as possible. In its essence it is a study of people and humanity and it's stuck with me years after I put it down.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews