First published in 1940 On the Trail contains a selection of the writings of Grey Owl (born Archibald Stansfeld Belaney). Intended for young readers the volume was edited by E. E. Reynolds and illustrated by Stuart Tresilian. It offers a variety of stories and impressions of life in the Canadian wilderness taken from two of Grey Owls books Tales of an Empty Cabin and Men of the Last Frontier. The selections are arranged thematically into five chapters and a glossary of terms used in the text is included at the end.