Read Scotland 2016 discussion

Euan wrote: "[Book 1/5] I recently read the famous Edinburgh born author Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde". It was my first foray into his work and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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I totally agree that “The Strange Case …. is a great place to start to read classic Scottish works. It’s exciting and puzzling and being quite short gives its rewards quickly. I would say the nature of the old-fashioned writing style occasionally requires a little effort.

I took an interest in RLS when just a few years ago, we discovered that my wife is related to the Stevenson family and hence is a distant cousin to Robert Louis. I had never read any of his work except ‘Treasure Island’ when I was a kid. I started by reading Claire Harman’s amazing biography of RLS (which I can recommend as a great read – what a life this man led!).




The story goes that Jeckyl and Hyde was initiated by a dream. Robert Louis’ wife woke him as she heard him crying out in horror. She wrote that he had been angry having been wakened, saying ‘Why did you wake me? I was dreaming a fine boguey tale’.

It was published quickly on completion on both sides on the Atlantic in 1886, selling 40,000 copies in Britain in the first six months and 250,000 ‘legal and pirated copies’ in North America.

I have added this to my list. Thanks Euan!

Euan wrote: "[Book 1/5] I recently read the famous Edinburgh born author Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde". It was my first foray into his work and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Euan, I look forward to reading this, this time around. I've seen the old movie but never got to the book. I just watched a show with Ian Rankin as the host explaining the writing of this book. It's based on a real doctor, John Hunter, of the time. He was a split personality but he was pioneering in the treating of and surgery of patients. He practiced on dead bodies. It was very interesting. Come to find out he is my husbands great, great, great? grandfather! And he didn't even know he had Scottish blood! I want to read his book The Body Snatcher too.