Robert Michael Ballantyne

Deep Down Robert Michael Ballantyne

Robert Michael Ballantyne (24 April 1825 - 8 February 1894) was a Scottish author of juvenile fiction who wrote more than 100 books. He was also an accomplished artist, and exhibited some of his water-colours at the Royal Scottish Academy. His father was a printer, but when that business collapsed, he went to Canada at age 16, where he became a fur trader. When he returned to England, his adventures inspired him to begin writing.


While researching for Deep Down, he spent time with the tin miners of Cornwall, which helped give his book a realistic feel. In his lifetime, he published more than 100 books, most of the juvenile adventure fiction.