The Master of Ballantre

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) may have traveled more than the characters in some of his critically acclaimed and world renowned novels. Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and traveling writer who wrote classics like Kidnapped and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Stevenson was so accomplished that he was a celebrity during his lifetime, and he left an influence on great writers who followed him, including Hemingway and Kipling. At the same time, his works are easy enough to read that they can be taught in classrooms across the world to teenagers. One of his most popular books was Treasure Island, which all but created every stereotype now associated with pirates. Stevenson also wrote essays, a few of which were included in the vaunted Harvard Classics series. In Samuel Pepys, Stevenson recalls the life of the British naval administrator who reformed the British navy. Pepys is also famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man. Like Kidnapped and Catriona, The Master of Bellantrae is a historical fiction that takes place during the Jacobite Rebellion in 18th century Scotland. These works were among Stevenson's most popular, and many writers wrote of those events, including Sir Walter Scott.