Sir Henry Yule

Born in Scotland in 1820, Sir Henry Yule trained as an engineer and served with the Bengal Engineers in British India. His career took him across the subcontinent and into Burma, giving him firsthand experience of the places, languages, and histories that later filled his books.

After retiring from active service, he devoted himself to research and writing. He became especially known for his richly annotated edition of The Book of Ser Marco Polo and, with A. C. Burnell, for Hobson-Jobson, the famous glossary of Anglo-Indian words and phrases. His writing combined wide learning with a strong gift for explanation, making demanding subjects feel alive and approachable.

Yule was knighted and remained an important figure in geographical and historical scholarship until his death in 1889. He is still remembered as a patient editor, curious traveler, and one of the great interpreters of Asia for nineteenth-century English readers.