Robert Louis Stevenson was born in 1850 in Edinburgh. He often caught coughs and colds when young.  Stevenson learned to read at 7 or 8, but he loved listening to stories as a child.

He studied Engineering at University, but in 1871, he decided to become a writer. He studied law as his plan B. Stevenson is famous today mainly for his adventure stories. Many English writers, including Arthur Conan Doyle, admired his work.

Stevenson travelled a lot throughout his life. In 1890, for health reasons, he moved with his wife and family to Samoa. He died there in 1894.