Record Number: 20499
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'I have been reading such lots of law, and it seems to take away the power of writing from me. From morning to night, so often as I have a spare moment, I am in the embraces of a law book: barren embraces.'
Century:1850-1899
Date:Until: 29 Jun 1875
Country:Scotland
Timemorning
afternoon
evening
night
city: Edinburgh
county: Lothian
specific address: [Swanston Cottage, Lothianburn]
(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:13 Nov 1850
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:Aspiring writer and intermittent law student
Religion:Uncommitted.
Country of Origin:Scotland
Country of Experience:Scotland
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:[law books]
Genre:Law
Form of Text:Print: Book, Law books in the plural.
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:20499
Source:Robert Louis Stevenson
Editor:Bradford A. Booth
Title:The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, April 1874-July 1879
Place of Publication:New Haven and London
Date of Publication:1994
Vol:2
Page:145
Additional Comments:
Letter 398, To Frances Sitwell, Tuesday [29 June 1875], [Swanston]. Co-editor Ernest Mehew, The material in square brackets has been added by the editors
Citation:
Robert Louis Stevenson, Bradford A. Booth (ed.), The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, April 1874-July 1879, (New Haven and London, 1994), 2, p. 145, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=20499, accessed: 13 May 2025
Additional Comments:
See also p. 139, Letter 392. RLS is still reading law textbooks in preparation for the imminent Edinburgh University Final Examination at which he will qualify as Advocate and consequently be called to the Scottish Bar, though he will not practise.
