Freaks on the Fells

Robert Michael Ballantyne (1825-1894) was a Scottish author who published more than 100 books. He was also an accomplished artist and exhibited some of his water-colours at the Royal Scottish Academy. His father was a printer, but when that business collapsed, Robert went to Canada at age 16, where he became a fur trader. When he returned to England, his adventures inspired him to begin writing, and he became one of the most successful adventure writers of his age. His novel The Coral Island helped inspire Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.