Hector Bolitho (28 May 1897–12 September 1974) was a New Zealand journalist, novelist and biographer, who published fifty-nine books. Born in Aukland, he spent most of his career in England, where during World War II he worked as an intelligence officer for the RAF, editing the Royal Air Force Journal.Widely travelled, he drew inspiration from his observations and experiences for his literary work. He journeyed in the South Sea Islands in 1919 and then through New Zealand with the Prince of Wales in 1920, going on to see Africa, Australia, Canada, America, and Germany in 1923–24, finally settling in Britain where he was to remain for the rest of his life.