Robert Michael Ballantyne

Robert Michael Ballantyne (1824-1895) was a Scottish-born author of children's literature. Born in Edinburgh to a family of famous printers and publishers, Ballantyne grew up with a love for writing. After spending six years in Canada workig for the Hudson's Bay Company, he returned to Scotland and worked for the publisher Messrs Constable. In 1856 Ballantyne gave up business for the profession of literature and began writing the series of adventure stories for the young with which his name is popularly associated. He published his first book, Hudson's Bay, in 1858, and went on to publish over a hundred books for children.