Set at the time of the Jacobite uprising The Master of Ballantrae tells of a family divided James Durie Master of Ballantrae abandons his ancestral home to support the Scottish rebellion
- leaving his younger brother Henry who is faithful to the English crown to inherit the title of Lord Durrisdeer But he is to return years later embittered by battles & a savage life of piracy on the high seas to demand his inheritance Turning the people against the Lord he begins a savage feud with his brother that will lead the pair from the Scottish Highlands to the American Wilderness Satanic & seductive the Master was regarded by Stevenson as 'all I know of the devil'; his darkly manipulative schemes dominate this subtle & compelling tragedy This edition takes as its text the Edinburgh Edition of the novel the last approved by the author The introduction considers the novel's inspiration & its place as one of Stevenson's greatest studies in cruelty