Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson · Adventure · 33 chapters · 5h 54m · 23 voices

Jim Hawkins discovers a treasure map hidden in a dead pirate's chest, setting off a perilous voyage to a sun-baked island — and a battle of wits with the cunning, charismatic Long John Silver.

Twenty-three voices, the largest cast in the catalogue, because a pirate ship is a crowd and Stevenson gives nearly all of it lines. That is the practical argument for casting this book: in the mutiny chapters, half a dozen men are talking in the dark and the reader has to know which of them is which without being told. Jim narrates as a boy who was there, Silver changes his manner depending on who is listening, and the minor pirates — Israel Hands, George Merry, Blind Pew — each get just enough space to be a person before the plot disposes of them.

The voices that carry it

Long John Silver is the whole book. He is cast genial first and dangerous second, because everyone in the story likes him and that is what makes him work. Ben Gunn, half-mad from three years alone, is the other one people remember.

Chapter one plays without an account. Start listening to Treasure Island.

Voice cast

22 characters plus the narrator, each with their own voice. All the voices of Treasure Island.

Jim Hawkins — A boy of about thirteen or fourteen, son of the Admiral Benbow innkeeper. Brave, curious, impulsive, and resourceful — consistently placed at the centre of events by sheer chance and nerve.
Long John Silver — One-legged ship's cook turned pirate. Physically powerful and mentally shrewd, with a parrot on his shoulder. Projects warmth and bonhomie while being entirely ruthless underneath.
Captain Smollett — Captain of the Hispaniola — lean, trim, sharp, and professionally precise. Does not suffer fools or disorder.
Dr. Livesey — A doctor and magistrate — even-tempered, intelligent, and genuinely brave. Keeps his cool when others panic. A man of professional detachment and dry wit.
Squire Trelawney — A wealthy country squire who finances the voyage. Enthusiastic, impulsive, and incapable of keeping secrets. Brave in a fight despite being reckless in judgment.
Billy Bones — An old pirate lodging at the Admiral Benbow, living in constant fear of a one-legged man. Heavy-set, weather-beaten, prone to drink. The first of the book's sea dogs.
Ben Gunn — A pirate marooned on Treasure Island for three years, reduced to eating wild goats and dreaming of cheese. Half-wild, tangled-haired, dressed in patches. Still sharp underneath the madness.
Israel Hands — An experienced pirate serving as the Hispaniola's coxswain. Dangerous, wily, and patient. His one-on-one confrontation with Jim on the ship deck is a key scene.
Blind Pew — A blind pirate who delivers the black spot to Billy Bones — vicious, menacing, and physically formidable despite his blindness. Brief but terrifying presence.
George Merry — A vocal and aggressive pirate who emerges as the mutiny's most prominent agitator in the final act. Challenges Silver's authority.

Chapters

Chapter I: The Old Sea-dog at the Admiral Benbow 10m
Chapter II: Black Dog Appears and Disappears 12m
Chapter III: The Black Spot 11m
Chapter IV: The Sea-chest 11m
Chapter V: The Last of the Blind Man 9m
Chapter VI: The Captain’s Papers 11m
Chapter VII: I Go to Bristol 10m
Chapter VIII: At the Sign of the Spy-glass 9m
Chapter IX: Powder and Arms 9m
Chapter X: The Voyage 10m
Chapter XI: What I Heard in the Apple-Barrel 11m
Chapter XII: Council of War 10m
Chapter XIII: How I Began My Shore Adventure 9m
Chapter XIV: The First Blow 10m
Chapter XV: The Man of the Island 12m
Chapter XVI: Narrative Continued by the Doctor: How the Ship Was Abandoned 9m
Chapter XXVII: Narrative Continued by the Doctor: The Jolly-boat’s Last Trip 8m
Chapter XVIII: Narrative Continued by the Doctor: End of the First Day’s Fighting 8m
Chapter XIX: Narrative Resumed by Jim Hawkins: The Garrison in the Stockade 10m
Chapter XX: Silver’s Embassy 9m
Chapter XXI: The Attack 11m
Chapter XXII: How I Began My Sea Adventure 11m
Chapter XXIII: The Ebb-tide Runs 9m
Chapter XXIV: The Cruise of the Coracle 11m
Chapter XXV: I Strike the Jolly Roger 9m
Chapter XXVI: Israel Hands 26m
Chapter XXVIII: In the Enemy’s Camp 14m
Chapter XXIX: The Black Spot Again 11m
Chapter XXX: On Parole 13m
Chapter XXXI: The Treasure-hunt--Flint’s Pointer 12m
Chapter XXXII: The Treasure-hunt--The Voice Among the Trees 11m
Chapter XXXIII: The Fall of a Chieftain 11m
Chapter XXXIV: And Last 10m

About this recording

How many voices are in Treasure Island?

Twenty-three, more than any other book in the catalogue. The crowded shipboard scenes are the reason — a mutiny is hard to follow when one reader plays every mutineer.

Is Treasure Island a children's book?

It was written for a boy and works for one, but it is violent in places and the moral shading of Silver is entirely adult. Most listeners find it reads as an adventure novel rather than a juvenile one.