Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on the 13 November 1850. His father and grandfather were both successful engineers who built many of the lighthouses that dotted the Scottish coast, whilst his mother came from a family of lawyers and church ministers. A sickly boy whose mother was also often unwell, Stevenson spent much of his childhood with the family nurse, Alison Cunningh... Read More
Robert Louis Stevenson is one of Edinburgh’s great writers, with novels including Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. As well as a novelist, Stevenson was a travel writer and essayist and moved around the world extensively. He is now evaluated as a peer of authors such as Joseph Conrad and Henry James, with new scholarly studies and organisations devoted t... Read More
Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist and travel writer, most noted for Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and A Child's Garden of Verses. Born in 1850, Robert Louis Stevenson grew up in Edinburgh where his father was a well-respected lighthouse engineer. Stevenson almost followed his father’s example, studying engineering at Edinburgh University, but at... Read More
Robert Louis Stevenson is best known as the author of the children’s classic Treasure Island, and the adult horror story, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Hyde. He is currently ranked as the 26th most translated author in the world. Robert Louis Stevenson was a great traveller. He sought adventure through travel but also needed an environment amenable to his recurring ill health. Early trave... Read More
Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist and travel writer. Between the years 1880 to 1887, Stevenson searched in vain for a suitable climate to accommodate his poor health. He and Fanny eventually settled in Bournemouth in July 1884 in the house named 'Skerryvore'. Stevenson was very ill throughout the years he lived at Skerryvore and often unable to leave the house. In 1885 he published... Read More
Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist and travel writer. A celebrity in his lifetime, Stevenson attracted a more negative critical response for much of the 20th century, though his reputation has been largely restored. He is currently ranked as the 26th most translated author in the world. His first two books were travel accounts. Other non-fiction based on his personal experiences fol... Read More
Iain Banks was a Scottish author. He wrote mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies. The Algebraist, like much of Banks's sci-fi, is a dense character-driven epic complete with alien races, warring cultures, interstellar travel, and humour. The novel takes place in 4034. With the assistance of oth... Read More
Iain Banks was born in Fife in 1954 and was educated at Stirling University, where he studied English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology. He came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984. His first science fiction novel, Consider Phlebas, was published in 1987. He continued to write both mainstream fiction and science fi... Read More
Iain Menzies Banks was a Scottish author, captured readers’ imaginations with thrilling and dark fiction, notably with his twisted literary debut, The Wasp Factory. Considered by some an atrocity of unparalleled perversity, the controversial yet carefully crafted novel portrays the sadistic indulgences of a disturbed young narrator. William Gibson, the New York Times-bestselling author of Spook... Read More