Robert Louis Stevenson

Born in Edinburgh in 1850, Robert Louis Stevenson grew up with fragile health but developed a strong imagination early on. He studied law at the University of Edinburgh, yet writing soon became his real calling, and he went on to work across fiction, essays, poetry, and travel writing.

His most famous books include Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, and the poetry collection A Child's Garden of Verses. Readers have long been drawn to the energy of his storytelling, his gift for atmosphere, and the way he could speak to both children and adults.

Stevenson traveled widely in search of better health and fresh experience, eventually settling in Samoa, where he died in 1894. His life was relatively short, but his work left an enormous mark on popular literature and on the modern adventure tale.