H. V. Morton (Henry Canova Vollam Morton) Biography

British travel writer, born in Ashton-under-Lyme; he grew up in Birmingham, where he began reporting for local newspapers before becoming a sub-editor on the Daily Mail. After active service in the First World War, he resumed his journalistic career in 1919 and produced his first book, The Heart of London, in 1925; by the end of 1926, he had published four further books about London. An In Search of … series followed, the first, In Search of England, appearing in 1927; its successors dealt with Scotland (1929), Ireland (1930), and Wales (1932). Morton's buoyant and richly descriptive manner made him one of the most respected popular authors of his day. In 1942 he accompanied Churchill to the Atlantic Charter negotiations with President Roosevelt, giving his account of events in Atlantic Meeting (1943). Among his many other travel books are Through Lands of the Bible (1938), one of a number with a devotional orientation, In Search of South Africa (1948), A Stranger in Spain (1954), and A Traveller in Rome (1957). I, James Blunt (1942) is Morton's fictionalized autobiography.