A Note about the Author
Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 13th November 1850. He was a weak, ill child and he had no brothers or sisters.
Stevenson's father was an engineer and he wanted his son to be an engineer too. But Robert Louis Stevenson wanted to be a writer.
His first two books, written in 1878 and 1879, were about his travels in Europe. His most famous books were written when he was older.
In 1873, when he was 23, Stevenson became ill. He was never well again. Doctors told him that the cold, wet weather in Scotland was bad for him. So in 1876 he went abroad - to France. While he was there he met an American woman, Fanny Van de Grift Osborne. Robert and Fanny fell in love. Fanny had two children and she was separated from her husband.
In 1879, Stevenson followed Fanny to California, USA. Fanny got divorced from her husband and she married
Robert in San Francisco in 1880.
The Stevenson family travelled to many countries. They lived in England, France and Switzerland as well as in the United States.
In 1889, they moved to the island of Samoa in the South Pacific. Stevenson died there on 3rd December 1894. He was 44 years old.
Treasure Island was published in a children's magazine in 1883. This exciting adventure story made Stevenson famous. The Strange Case of Dr ]ekyll and Mr Hyde and Kidnapped were published in 1886. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
is one of the most popular mystery stories that has ever been written. Many films have been made of it. Other books are: The Master of Ballantrae (1889) and Catriona (1893). Stevenson died before he finished writing Weir of Hermiston.