This was Stevenson's last novel, left incomplete by his sudden death in Samoa in 1894. It has often been described as his masterpiece, a hypothetical claim since as it stands it is little more than a fragment - though Hermiston himself, a "hanging judge" in the old style, is a memorable creation and the clash between him and his liberal-romantic son is the key to the narrative. Karl Miller supplies notes, introduction, and an account of Stevenson's plans for the book and his projected conclusion.