Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (13 November 1850 - 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer.
A literary celebrity during his lifetime, Stevenson now ranks among the 30 most translated authors in the world, just below Charles Dickens.

"In the South Seas" is a combination of personal anecdotes and historical accounts of Stevenson's travels to the Paumotus and the Gilbert Islands during 1888-9.