Louis Stone emigrated with his family from England to Australia at age 13, growing up in 1880s Sydney in poverty, before becoming a teacher in New South Wales. A writer and playwright, Stone's works were critically acclaimed in his lifetime but sold poorly. His first novel, "Jonah", is considered an Australian classic while the second, "Betty Wayside", sold so poorly that Stone never wrote another. After his death, they were rediscovered by the literary public.