Treasure Island

Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the only child of Thomas Stevenson and Margaret Isabella Balfour. Stevenson's father belonged to a family of engineers who were responsible for many of sea lighthouses built around the coast of Scotland. His mother, Margaret, came from a family of church ministers and lawyers. Due to his father's distinguished career, it was naturally believed that Stevenson would follow in his father's footsteps, just as other family members had accomplished through the generations. Surprisingly found, writing would be his natural calling.

At age two, Stevenson caught what is known as the croup, which is an inflammatory disease of the larynx and trachea. As a young child, Stevenson was plagued with illnesses, just as his mother. It was originally believed that Stevenson might have inherited tuberculosis from his mother Margaret. It is somewhat ironic that the actual cause of his premature death was due to a cerebral hemorrhage just as his father apparently died due to thrombosis, or the clotting of his blood. Unfortunately, Stevenson’s health was continually questionable throughout his lifetime.

In 1867, Stevenson entered Edinburgh University and initially began to work towards a Science degree. He later switched to Civil Engineering to appease his father and spent some time working in the field. His interest in writing began at an early age but his father hoped to convince Stevenson that it was a great hobby because his father had aspirations of him carrying on with the family tradition and become a civil engineer. Coincidentally, while Stevenson was vacationing on an island named Earraid, he met a stonemason, who at the time was working on a lighthouse, named John Silver. This name will eventually be used and well known in his famous novel, Treasure Island.

The summer of 1881 proved to be a turning point in Stevenson's career. Shortly after his marriage to Fanny Osbourne, Stevenson would begin a novel, which would mark the beginning of his career. Due to inclement weather and Stevenson’s questionable health, the family spent an increased amount of time indoors. On one particular day, Stevenson and his stepson Lloyd drew and labeled a map, which would eventually be the inspiration for Treasure Island. The map triggered Stevenson's imagination and he began by writing a chapter a day, a total of nineteen, and read the chapters aloud nightly to his family for entertainment.