Henry Ernest Boote, Labor propagandist, journalist and writer, was born on 20 May 1865 at Liverpool, England. In 1889 Boote migrated to Australia, finding work as a compositor in Brisbane. In 1894 Boote was sent to Bundaberg by the Australian Labour Federation to edit the Bundaberg Guardian. In 1896 he was a founder and editor for the Gympie Truth. In 1902 he became editor in Brisbane of the Worker. His regular articles under the pseudonym 'Touchstone' led to the publication of his first book of essays, A Fool's Talk (Sydney, 1915). In 1911 Boote moved to Sydney as leader and feature writer on the Australian Worker, the official organ of the Australian Workers' Union; he was editor in 1914-43. In 1926-42 he was a trustee of the Public Library of New South Wales and also served as a member of the Mitchell Library committee. Boote retired in 1943 and died on 14 August 1949.