Edward Henry Palmer (7 August 1840 – August 1882) — known as E.H. Palmer — was an English orientalist and explorer. In 1859 after a miraculous recovery from severe tuberculosis he was thinking of a new start in life. He met Sayyid Abdallah, teacher of Hindustani at Cambridge. Under his influence he began his Oriental studies. During his residence at St John's he catalogued the Persian, Arabic and Turkish manuscripts in the university library, and in the libraries of Kings and Trinity. In 1867 he published a treatise on Oriental mysticism. Early in 1882 Palmer was asked by the government to go to the East and assist the Egyptian expedition by his influence over the Arabs of the El-Tih desert. He went to Gaza without an escort, where he was highly successful in his negotiations with the Bedouin. On his following journey, however, he and his companions were led into an ambush and murdered.