Fitz is the story of James Edward FitzGerald, whose energy and enthusiasm contributed so much to the early history of Christchurch, New Zealand. Orator, writer, politician, and journalist, he was the first Canterbury Pilgrim to set foot in New Zealand, the first superintendent of the province of Canterbury, the first leader of the general government, and the founder of the Press newspaper. From the account of his early years in the Anglo-Irish gentry of England to his old age as auditor-general of the colony, Fitz is a gripping biography that reads like a novel, breathing new life into the extraordinary man who played a major role in public life through 50 years of New Zealand history. *** Jenifer Roberts, the author of Fitz, is an English historian and direct descendant of James Edward FitzGerald. With access to sources previously inaccessible to researchers, Roberts provides new information about one of New Zealand's most outstanding colonists and his equally talented wife. Together, they personified the pioneer spirit of 19th-century New Zealand - a spirit re-invoked today in the people of Christchurch. *** "A superbly written, organized, and presented biography of a truly remarkable (and occasionally controversial) man, 'Fitz: The Colonial Adventures of James Edward FitzGerald' is informative, engaging, and entertaining from beginning to end." - Midwest Book Review, Small Press Bookwatch, The Biography Shelf, July 2014~.