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‘IT SHALL BE FINISHED!’ Robert Louis Stevenson made this proud boast in a letter to Sydney Colvin. He was referring to his latest project, The Great North Road, a rollicking tale of highwaymen, murder, mayhem and doomed love, hoping it would emulate the success of Treasure Island. He had written SIXteen thousand words before he abandoned the narrative in 1885.

In fact, the prolific but inconsistent Stevenson had left a total of fourteen unfinished works at the time of his death including the acclaimed novel Weir of Hermiston. In his introduction Campbell considers why Stevenson left so many works of fiction unfinished. Was it just his method or were there deeper reasons. Finally, Stuart Campbell has taken it upon himself to complete The Great North Road. Acting as a literary sleauth he has located a list of twenty-five intended chapter headings and, after a robust discussion with the abandoned characters, he has concluded the unfinished tale.

STUART CAMPBELL is an established Scottish novelist and travel writer. He has also written for the BBC, the Guardian and The Big Issue. He is the editor of RLS in Love which makes the case for Stevenson as a love poet. He lives in Glasgow and has a massive collection of Stevenson first editions and memorabilia. He is currently working on his fifth novel.