John Thompson
John Thompson
John Thompson is a historian and writer with a special interest in the collecting and preservation of the Australian documentary record in various physical formats. He commenced his career in the State Library of Victoria and later joined the staff of the National Library of Australia where he worked in a number of senior positions until 1999. He has maintained an active interest in matters concerning the National Portrait Gallery since the early 1990s when he was a contributor to the catalogue published for the Uncommon Australians exhibition; later he was closely involved with early planning for the National Portrait Gallery during its 'prehistory years' as a specialised program of the National Library. John is the author of The Patrician and the Bloke: Geoffrey Serle and the Making of Australian History (2006). With Brenda Niall he co-edited The Oxford Book of Australian Letters (1998). He has recently completed a new anthology, Documents that Shaped Australia,due for publication by Murdoch Books in 2010.