HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essentialclassics. 'I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both; and Ibelieve they both get paid in the end; but the fools first.' Orphaned as ayoung teenager, Lowlander David Balfour's only relative is his guardian anduncle, Ebenezer. Ill-thought of and disliked by many, it's not long beforeEbenezer betrays his nephew and David finds himself trapped aboard a ship.He soon strikes up a friendship with fugitive stranger and ScottishHighlander Alan Breck and becomes embroiled in the fierce Jacobite struggleagainst English rule. A tale of high-seas adventure, loyalty and fighting,the complex relationship between Alan and David stops Stevenson's novelfrom becoming 'just' a boys adventure novel.