An Inland Voyage was published by C. Kegan Paul in 1878, making it Stevenson’s first book. It describes a canoe trip he took in 1876 with his friend Walter Simpson (identified as “the Doyen”) through the waterways of Belgium and northern France, from Antwerp to Pontoise. The journey was miserable in practical terms — rain, cold, hostile innkeepers, near-drowning — but Stevenson transformed it into an essay in the philosophy of travel.
The book established the persona that Stevenson would maintain throughout his career: the literary vagabond, the writer who valued the journey over the destination, the man who found meaning in discomfort and comedy in misadventure. The prose style — light, ironic, rhythmically precise — was already recognizably Stevenson’s.
Collecting An Inland Voyage
First edition (C. Kegan Paul, London, 1878): Blue cloth. Stevenson’s first book.
Market values:
- First edition, fine: $2,000–$5,000
- First edition, very good: $800–$2,000
- Good: $300–$800
As Stevenson’s first published book, An Inland Voyage commands a premium among collectors despite being a relatively minor work.
Projected values (2026–2036): Strong appreciation. Stevenson’s first book, very scarce in first edition.
The First Book
In 1876, Stevenson canoed through Belgium and northern France with his friend Sir Walter Simpson. The resulting book (1878) — his first published volume — is a slight but charming account of river travel, weather, inns, and the pleasure of moving through landscape at water speed. The prose is already recognisably Stevenson’s: precise, musical, and alert to the physical world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the first edition valuable? An Inland Voyage (C. Kegan Paul, 1878) was published in a small edition that attracted little attention at the time. As Stevenson’s first book, it is essential for any serious Stevenson collection, and first editions in good condition are genuinely rare.