The writing of Robert W. Service is mostly known through his poems and ballads. Immortalized by his two iconic ballads, "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and "The Shooting of Dan McGrew," he has entered the world's imagination as the Bard of the Yukon.

Robert W. Service (1874-1958) was born in Preston, Lancashire, England, and came to Canada in 1895, eventually ending up in Yukon Territory in 1904, five years after the Klondike Gold Rush. His many books include the poetry collection The Songs of a Sourdough, the novel The Trail of '98, and the autobiography Ploughman of the Moon. Service later moved to France, where he died.