author
Sir Henry Yule
1820–1889
A soldier-scholar of the British Empire, this Scottish orientalist turned years in India into influential books on Asian geography, language, and travel. He is still best remembered for bringing Marco Polo to new readers and for co-creating the lively Anglo-Indian glossary Hobson-Jobson.
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About the author
Born near Edinburgh in 1820, Henry Yule trained as an engineer and joined the Bengal Engineers in 1840. His service in India included survey and public works assignments, and those years sparked the deep interest in Asian history, places, and cultures that shaped the rest of his life.
After retiring from active service, he devoted himself to scholarship. Yule edited and translated important travel texts, including works connected with medieval journeys across Asia, and his edition of The Book of Marco Polo became especially well known. With Arthur C. Burnell, he also compiled Hobson-Jobson, a landmark dictionary of Anglo-Indian words and phrases.
Yule was widely respected in learned circles and served as president of the Hakluyt Society and of the Royal Asiatic Society. He died in London in 1889, leaving behind books that helped generations of readers explore the meeting points of language, travel, and empire.