Robert Louis Stevenson was a prolific poet, novelist and essayist in the late ninetieth century, perhaps best known as the author of Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1850. He was the son of a lighthouse engineer in a devout Presbyterian family. While growing up, Stevenson spent a great deal of time with his grandfather, who was a member of the clergy in the Church of Scotland. Stevenson speculates he inherited his love of speaking from his time spent with his grandfather.
Stevenson spent much of his childhood sick with a disease that is speculated to be bronchiectasis, which made him quite thin, and he frequently was absent from school. This made him have a hard time fitting in. He spent much of his time writing, until he went to the University of Edinburgh to study engineering. Despite being the family profession, engineering was not a subject that held Stevenson's interest. Instead, he spent much of his time participating in a debate society. After graduating from University, Stevenson turned away from the family profession, focusing his attention instead on travel and writing. His first book, An Inland Voyage, an account of a canoe trip through France and Belgium was published in 1878.
Stevenson continued to travel, and moved many times throughout his life, searching for a place with a climate that would hep him maintain his health. He spent a great deal of time moving around England, but the weather made his illness progress. Despite this, he write several of his most famous works in this time, including Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Eventually, Stevenson decided to head to America to find a more suitable climate. After spending a harsh winter in New York, Stevenson chartered a vessel to get him to San Francisco. On the way, he diverted his course and spent a great deal of time in the South Pacific. Stevenson never made it to San Francisco, but built a home in Samoa where he lived the rest of his life. Stevenson died in Samoa 1894.
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