Robert Barr (1850-1912) was a Canadian writer. Born in Scotland, he was brought to Canada with his family at the age of four. They eventually settled in Windsor, Ontario. Barr began his career teaching but soon migrated to the Detroit Free Press where he worked as a reporter. In 1881, he moved to London, England to establish a weekly edition of the DFP. Whilst there he co-founded with Jerome K. Jerome a magazine for men called The Idler. Barr wrote several novels mostly based on crime detective themes which were popular in the late 19th century.