Fort Desolation

Jack Robinson is a solitary but adventurous soul, with a lifetime of expeditions behind him. Now middle-aged and settled on a farm in Canada, Jack believes his adventuring days are over. But everything changes when he receives a letter from his old friend John Murray, urging him to give up his farm and join him trading furs. Jack doesn’t need to be asked twice, and swiftly sets off on his next quest. Plenty of excitement awaits in this thrilling tale from popular children’s author R.M. Ballantyne.

R.M. Ballantyne (1825-1894) was a Scottish artist and prolific author of mostly children’s fiction. Born in Edinburgh, Ballantyne was the ninth of ten children. At the age of 16 Ballantyne moved to Canada, where he worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company, travelling all over the country to trade for fur. He returned to Scotland in 1847 following the death of his father, and it was then that he began his literary career in earnest, writing over 100 children’s adventure books over the course of his life. Stories such as ‘The Coral Island’ and ‘The Young Fur Traders’ were hugely popular, and many of them drew on his own experiences of travelling throughout Canada. A stickler for detail, Ballantyne continued to travel widely to research the backgrounds and settings for his exciting stories. His tales became an inspiration for authors of the future, including ‘Treasure Island’ novelist Robert Louis Stevenson. Ballantyne spent the latter period of his life living in London and Italy for the sake of his health. He died in Rome in 1894 at the age of 68.