Robert Louis Stevenson was a 19th century Scottish essayist, poet, novelist, and travel writer. His most famous works are Kidnapped, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Treasure Island. Memories and Portraits is a collection of essays including essays on Stevenson's novels, his college years, and his old age, dogs and romance. The Table of Contents includes The foreigner at home, Some college memories, Old morality, A college magazine, An old Scotch gardener, Pastoral, The manse, Memories of an islet, Thomas Stevenson, Talk and talkers: first paper, Talk and talkers: second paper, The character of dogs, "A penny plain and twopence coloured", A gossip on a novel of Dumas's, A gossip on romance, and A humble remonstrance