Books with title The Wrong Box

The Wrong Box is a black comedy novel co-written by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, first published in 1889. The story is about two brothers who are the last two surviving members of a tontine. The book was the first of three novels that Stevenson co-wrote with Osbourne, who was his stepson. The others were The Wrecker (1892) and The Ebb-Tide (1894). Osbourne wrote the first draft of the novel late in 1887 (then called The Finsbury Tontine), Stevenson revised it in 1888 (then called A Game of Bluff) and again in 1889 when it was finally called The Wrong Box. A film adaptation, also titled The Wrong Box, was released in 1966, and a musical in 2002.

Despite Robert Louis Stevenson being known for his more macabre and successful book – The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – his dark humor story, written together with his stepson, Lloyd Osbourne, The Wrong Box, creates a completely different set of circumstances, being far more hilarious than horrific. The story is a perfect portrayal of Stevenson’s interest with the polarities and alterations that occur in a person’s character upon the presence of a triggering event. In this case, it revolves around a group of life insurance policy owners who are presented with a curious and disturbing fact: the full amount paid by the insurance company will rest with the last surviving member of the group. Although some readers may expect a horror story filled with situations where group members constantly try to kill each other, the entire plot is remarkably droll. The writers are able to create a lighthearted atmosphere with some of the funniest, most unique circumstances that could occur considering the challenges faced by the characters. The mischievous tone and exemplary writing style often lead us to believe the authors are almost making fun of the characters’ misfortune, while keeping the entire work balanced. One of the best examples of this is Morris’ interest in keeping his guardian alive for the money in favor of his uncle, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. After an unfortunate train wreck, Morris places his dead guardian’s body in a barrel and mails it to himself, only to find upon arrival that the addresses were mixed up at the post office, and he received a large statue of Hercules instead. Much of the humor in The Wrong Box focuses on the unexpected, depicting the hilarious and sometimes disturbing reactions the characters may have to various events. You will find the story as a whole can be just as unexpected yet quite a memorable reading experience.

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

How very little does the amateur, dwelling at home at ease, comprehend the labours and perils of the author, and, when he smilingly skims the surface of a work of fiction, how little does he consider the hours of toil, consultation of authorities, researches in the Bodleian, correspondence with learned and illegible Germans—in one word, the vast scaffolding that was first built up and then knocked down, to while away an hour for him in a railway train! Thus I might begin this tale with a biography of Tonti—birthplace, parentage, genius probably inherited from his mother, remarkable instance of precocity, etc—and a complete treatise on the system to which he bequeathed his name. The material is all beside me in a pigeon-hole, but I scorn to appear vainglorious. Tonti is dead, and I never saw anyone who even pretended to regret him; and, as for the tontine system, a word will suffice for all the purposes of this unvarnished narrative.

The Wrong Box is one of Robert Louis Stevenson's strangest works. Written with his stepson Lloyd Osborne, it is a masterpiece of black comedy, turning on mistaken identity, the disappearance of a corpse, and several makeshift coffins. V. S. Pritchett described it as "a farce that slips down the throat with the nicety of an oyster," and, according to E. F. Benson, it is "perhaps the most superb extravaganza in the language." In this intriguing work, the Finsbury family has long been involved in a Tontine - a scheme in which subscribers invest money in a fund which them falls to the last survivor. Now there are only two aged uncles between Morris and John Finsbury and their fortune. A railway accident appears to dispose of one, and then the farce begins. In this eccentric and brilliantly plotted story, the authors not only extended the boundaries of good taste, but also satirized the popular Railway Novel genre, perplexing many Victorian readers.

How very little does the amateur, dwelling at home at ease, comprehend the labours and perils of the author, and, when he smilingly skims the surface of a work of fiction, how little does he consider the hours of toil, consultation of authorities, researches in the Bodleian, correspondence with learned and illegible Germans—in one word, the vast scaffolding that was first built up and then knocked down, to while away an hour for him in a railway train!