Robert Louis Stevenson

Growing up in Scotland, Robert Louis Stevenson was a sickly, eccentric child who liked to write stories. To please his family, Stevenson studied engineering and law at the University of Edinburgh, but did not pursue either of these careers, instead focusing on his literary career. Partly to find a suitable climate for his ill health, Stevenson traveled to places such as the French Riviera, the Adirondack Mountains in New York, Hawaii, and Samoa. While recuperating from illnesses, Stevenson produced many of his best-known works, including Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stevenson died at age 44 of a cerebral brain hemorrhage while living with his wife in Samoa.