On the Great Highway
by James Creelman

Where to find this book On the Great Highway was published by Lothrop Publishing Company in 1901. It is now out of print. For used copies try Alibris.

  blurb    online book

The author
Turn-of-the-century correspondent James Creelman was a creator and defender of yellow journalism. Working for famed newspaperman W. R. Hearst, he was an active participant in the Spanish-American War. He reported extensively on the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, becoming famous for his exposure of a Japanese massacre during the campaign. He became the first journalist to interview the pope. He visited Tolstoy at his cottage in Russia, staying and conversing with the great novelist for days on end. He met with Sitting Bull in his tee-pee. He reported on the goings-on in the Republic of Haiti.
   Creelman's life is recounted in a short biography written by Creelman's descendant, John E. Creelman, mayor of the Town of Mono in Ontario, Canada.
   Creelman's role as a yellow journalist is described by modern day journalist Frederic A. Moritz in a collection of articles about the origins of human rights journalism.

The book
On the Great Highway is a well-written collection of stories that expand upon the newspaper reports written by Creelman. The writing is engaging and entertaining.
   For Creelman's defense of yellow journalism, see Chapter 9, Familiar Glimpses of Yellow Journalism.
   Creelman's encounters with Tolstoy are in The Avatar of Count Tolstoy and Tolstoy and his People.
   Some of his experiences in the Spanish-American War are described in On the Firing Line in the Philippines.
   And for pure entertainment, one can enjoy Creelman's description of a ride in a hot air balloon in Newsgathering in the Clouds.