Ex-library, edge wear to jacket. 1970 Hard Cover. We have more books available by this author!. 466 pp. Map illustrated endpapers. Islands in the Stream (1970) was the first of the published posthumous work by Ernest Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961). The book was originally intended to revive Hemingway’s reputation after the negative reviews of Across the River and Into the Trees. He began writing it in 1950 and advanced greatly through 1951. The work, rough but seemingly finished, was found by Mary Hemingway from among 332 different works Hemingway left behind after his death. Islands in the Stream was meant to encompass three stories to illustrate different stages in the life of its main character, Thomas Hudson. The three different parts of the novel were originally to be entitled The Sea When Young, The Sea When Absent and The Sea in Being. These titles were changed, however, into what are now its three acts: Bimini, Cuba, and At Sea.