Walter Besant (1836-1901) was an English novelist and historian. Born at Portsmouth, Hampshire, Besant was the son of a wine merchant, whose other children included William, a prominent mathematician, and Frank, the husband of renowned theosophist, socialist, and activist Annie Besant. After attending King's College London, he enrolled at Christ's College, Cambridge to study mathematics, graduating with first class honors in 1859. Besant worked for six years as professor of mathematics at Royal College, Mauritius, returning to London in 1867 after a period of ill-health. In 1868, he published his work Studies in French Poetry and was appointed to the Palestine Exploration Fund as Secretary. Three years later, Besant was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn and began his literary collaboration with novelist James Rice. Together, they wrote such successful works of fiction as Ready-money Mortiboy (1872) and The Golden Butterfly (1876).