For most people, "Treasure Island" needs no further introduction. It is the epitome of the pirate history, has enduringly influenced the way we think of pirates and provided us with the archetypical image of pirates and pirate talk. While it introduced nearly all concepts that are now associated with pirates - one-legged seamen, black-sailed ships, treasure maps marked with an "X," the frightening black spot, and parrots yelling "pieces of eight" -, the preeminent adventure tale "Treasure Island" is also an enduring coming-of-age story, as Jim both navigates life-and-death situations and encounters moral lessons.

"When we think about pirates, there is a nearly universal image that comes to mind, which has been perpetuated throughout pop culture. Pirates have developed quite the reputation for saying things such as "Shiver me timbers!" and "Arrr!" and for having a peg leg-maybe even sporting a parrot on their shoulder. This idea of pirates, both in the way they speak and the way they look, derives mostly from the popular novel Treasure Island and one of its movie adaptations. Unfortunately, it probably doesn't have much bearing in reality.
Treasure Island was serialized in a magazine from October 1881 to January 1882 and published in book form in 1883. It was written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson under the pseudonym "Captain George North." The novel follows teenage protagonist Jim Hawkins, who finds himself in possession of a map that leads to buried treasure. Sounds familiar, right? Jim leads the reader on a wild adventure, encountering pirates such as the one-legged Captain Long John Silver and Israel Hands, who want to take the treasure for themselves." (Encycl. Britt.).