Robert Louis Stevenson (born 13 November 1850) was a Scottish author, poet, essayist and travel writer.
The author of Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped and A Child’s Garden of Verses, was born at 8 Howard Place in the Warriston area of Edinburgh.
His parents were Thomas Stevenson (1818–1887), a lighthouse engineer, and Margaret Isabella Balfour (1829–1897).
RLS was christened Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson, but changed his name from Lewis to Louis when he was 18, and then dropped Balfour in 1873.
“I was an only child and, it maybe in consequence, both intelligent and sickly. I have three powerful impressions of my childhood: my sufferings when I was sick, my delights in convalescence at my grandfather’s manse of Colinton, near Edinburgh, and the unnatural activity of my mind after I was in bed at night.”
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON – FROM “MEMOIRS OF HIMSELF”
This image is licensable here: RLS Birthplace
Two minutes walk from here is 10 Warriston Crescent, where Chopin stayed during his visit to Edinburgh in 1848.
Sources and Further Reading
Robert Louis Stevenson – Wikipedia
The RLS Website – a comprehensive web resource dedicated to the author.
The Robert Louis Stevenson Club, Edinburgh – and a list of international RLS Societies.