Henry Duff Traill (1842–1900) was a prolific journalist, satirist and author. The son of a magistrate, he was called to the Bar in 1869 but began working as a journalist at the Yorkshire Post soon afterwards. He contributed to several newspapers, acting as chief political leader writer at The Daily Telegraph from 1882 to 1897 and editing The Observer for two years. He later became the editor of Literature, holding this post until his death. Among his diverse published works were six biographies, of which the most in-depth was that of Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin. Published in 1896 and drawing on personal documents provided by the Franklin family, it provides a picture of Franklin's character and personal life, alongside a detailed account of his career. Written fifty years after Franklin's presumed death, this work also covers the aftermath of his final ill-fated voyage in search of a north-west passage.
