Novelist, essayist and poet, Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the world's most popular and beloved authors. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1850, Stevenson was plagued with pulmonary trouble and ill health throughout his short life. He briefly studied engineering and law in college, but left school to travel and began his writing career with An Inland Voyage in 1879. His first major success was Treasure Island in 1881, followed quickly by A Child’s Garden of Verses, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Kidnapped and more best-selling novels and collections. In 1880 he married Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, and later collaborated on several books with his stepson, Lloyd Osbourne. The family moved to Samoa in 1888, seeking relief for Stevenson’s health. His final novel, Weir of Hermiston, was still in progress when he died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1894.