Education
FAQ: Biographies
The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson
The most highly recommended Robert Louis Stevenson biography currently available is:
Myself and the Other Fellow: A Life of Robert Louis Stevenson by Claire Harmann, Harper Collins Publishers, 2005.
Review: Explore the exciting life of Robert Louis Stevenson through the words of Claire Harmann. This is a great, accessible work for anyone curious about Stevenson, his life, and his work.
The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson
If you’d like a more in-depth look at the real Stevenson, we recommend reading his many letters.
The majority of his letters were collected into an 8 volume anthology in 1995 by editors Bradford A Booth and Ernest Mehew. But if you’d prefer a smaller selection of his most insightful letters, Mehew also curated a fine volume of Selected Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Complete List of RLS Biographies
The team of Stevenson scholars which supports the Napier University’s website about Robert Louis Stevenson, have compiled some of the most thorough lists about the author and resources to learn about him.
About Fanny Stevenson
One of the most significant figures in Stevenson’s life was his wife, Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne Stevenson. Fanny was a great support to Stevenson throughout his life, career, and worked diligently to promote his work and legacy after his death.
For more works on Fanny and her life with Stevenson, we recommend the following works.
Nonfiction
A Wilder Shore, Camille Peri (2024)
The extraordinary story of the creative and romantic partnership between Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife and muse, Fanny Van de Grift
Check out the video from our evening with Camille Peri!
- Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson, Nellie Van de Grift Sanchez (Fanny’s sister) 1920
- This Life I’ve Loved, Isobel Field (Fanny’s daughter), 1937
- The Violent Friend: The Story of Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson, Margaret Mackay, 1968
Fiction
- Fanny Stevenson, A Romance of Destiny, Alexandra Lapierre, 1995
- Under the Wide and Starry Sky, Nancy Horan, 2014
Diaries
- The Cruise of the Janet Nichol, Fanny Stevenson 1915
- Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson: Our Samoan Adventure, edited by Charles Neider, 1956
- The Cruise of the Janet Nichol ‘among the South Sea Islands, edited by Roslyn Jolly 2004
Visit the Museum
The Robert Louis Stevenson Museum is open
Tuesday – Saturday from 12 to 4 PM
Give to the RSLM
The Robert Louis Stevenson Museum depends on many sources to support our mission to preserve and promote the legacy of RLS
Address
1490 Library Lane
P.O. Box 23
St. Helena, CA 94574
Hours
Tuesday 12 PM – 4 PM
Wednesday 12 PM – 4 PM
Thursday 12 PM – 4 PM
Friday 12 PM – 4 PM
Saturday 12 PM – 4 PM