Manuscripts at the National Library

Robert Louis Stevenson's papers were scattered widely around the world, and found their way into numerous libraries and archives after his death in 1894.

The manuscript collections at the National Library of Scotland include a number of important items and groups of letters relating to Stevenson.

These include very early works, such as the illustrated 'History of Moses', composed when he was six years old, and lecture notes from his time as a student at Edinburgh University.

Two important groups of letters, to W E Henley and Frances Sitwell, chart his development as a writer and his travels around the world.

We also hold the papers of Graham Balfour, Stevenson's first biographer, which include a rich collection of photographs of Samoa.