Morrison's China: The Collected Journalism and 'Reminiscences' of George Morrison

When George Morrison,1862-1920, was 18 years old he confided to his diary that it was his "fixed determination to do something great, 'some day'."

From his origins in Geelong, Victoria, the son of a school master, he explored Australia, became a medical doctor, and was appointed in 1897 the Peking correspondent of The Times of London and ended his career as Political Adviser to the first President of the Republic of China. In his job for The Times he became one of the most famous journalists of his time. Much has been written about Morrison but not, until now, have any of his pathbreaking reports been published. Here, Simon Holberton, a foreign correspondent for Melbourne's The Age and London's Financial Times, gathers together the essential Morrison in a carefully annotated edition of his China journalism in a volume that also includes Morrison's unpublished memoir, 'Reminiscences', and his account of his trek from the Gulf of Carpentaria to Melbourne.

Simon Holberton, a writer now based in Australia, is a journalist and foreign correspondent who has worked in Japan and China, for The Age of Melbourne and London's Financial Times. He is the co-author (with Humphrey Hawksley) of Dragonstrike: The Millennium War about a conflict between China and the US over control of the South China Sea. Before embarking on his study of Morrison he lectured in journalism for post-graduate students at Deakin University, Melbourne. He is married with two adult children.