R.M. Ballantyne was a Scottish author and artist. Ballantyne was a very prolific writer best known for his adventure novels that are popular among young adults. Some of Ballantyne's most famous works are The Gorilla Hunters, Away in the Wilderness, and The Coral Island, the last of which was a major influence on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel Treasure Island. The Coral Island follows the adventures of a few young boys as they become shipwrecked and have only a telescope and pocketknife. The island seems pleasant at first but the boys quickly learn that things are not as they seem.