'The Sydney Morning Herald is the first Australian journal to reach its centenary, which it does on April 18, 1931...We therefore present to our readers the story of The Sydney Morning Herald, from its birth to the present time. We tell of its origin and early days, and of the origin and history of the firm of John Fairfax & Sons which for so long has carried it on. We give...an account of the Herald's record of Australian life over a period of great changes, and of astounding growth; in short, over the period of the rise of the Australian nation from infancy to manhood. Such a record, traced in the files of a great daily journal, it is hard to surpass either for comprehensive accuracy or for picturesqueness and intimacy. And finally we deal with the Herald of to-day; its achievements, its status, and its method of work.' (Source: Foreword)