John MacKay Shaw Childhood in Poetry Collection

Shaw went to work for the Bell Telephone System as a adult, and remained a public relations executive with that company until he retired in 1959. He changed his name legally to John MacKay Shaw to distinguish himself from all the other John Shaws he had discovered while working a project redesigning the Yellow Pages for New York City. He chose MacKay in honor of his mother's uncle, the renowned scholar, navigator, and teacher John MacKay of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland.

When his two children were young, Shaw read and sang to them often. He recited poetry, sang the old Glasgow drinking songs, Gilbert and Sullivan, and songs of the Gay Nineties. However, the children wanted to hear poems about them, not about other children. He promised to write them if they would provide the subjects for him to write about. Each year between 1933 and 1937, he collected the poems he had written that year and had them printed in pamphlets which he sent to friends at Christmas. Realizing that other fathers must have written poems for their children, he went looking for them in the second-hand bookstores. Thus began his collection of Childhood in Poetry.

For thirty years, while continuing to work for the Bell System, John MacKay Shaw haunted the second-hand bookstores of Great Britain and the United States, poring over catalogs in the evenings, searching out and purchasing rare and first editions of poetry for, about, and by children. He studied the books, read and wrote about them and their authors, and discoursed extensively with other collectors and scholars.

Upon retirement in 1959, Shaw gave his collection of almost 6,000 volumes to Florida State University (FSU) Libraries. For the next 25 years, Shaw went to the library daily to study, write, and talk about his books. He continued adding to his collection. Shaw died in Tallahassee, Florida on March 15, 1984.

For more information about John Shaw, see the finding aid for his personal and collection papers.

Pages

: Mamma's Bible stories: for her little boys and girls : a series of reading lessons taken from the Bible, and adapted to the capacities of very young children; "With twelve engravings.", Publisher's advertisements on p. 1-30 at end.

: Marmaduke multiply; The multiplication tables are presented in verse, Text and illustrations are printed within black-line and ornamental border, Originally published in England in 1816 and 1817 by John Harris. Issued by Munroe and Francis of Boston approximately 1836 in an Americanized edition, Art work most probably by Alonzo Hartwell, No. 3775 in: Shaw, J.M. Childhood in poetry, Library's copy imperfect: Lacks front wrapper

: Melodies of Gospel hymns consolidated; arranged for the cornet by S.C. Hayslip., Includes index., "A piano or organ played from the regular edition will agree perfectly with the cornet played from this one"--P. [2].

: Memoir of Mary King: who died in Rochester, Mass. March 3d, 1839; written for the American Sunday-School Union and revised by the Committee of Publication.

: Memoir of Miss Frances Augusta Bell: who died in Kentish Town on Monday, the 23rd of May, 1825, aged fifteen years and six months, with specimens of her compositions in prose and verse; [selected] by Johnson Grant., Library's copy has handwritten inscription inside front lining paper, dated 1827.

: Memoir of the life of the late Robert Burns

: Memorial poems; Inscribed by the author.

: Merry times; Nurse Powell's giant -- Alec's bank -- The best nuts -- How Dick went clamming -- The text and the spider.

: Messages from the master and other poems; by Charlotte Murray.

: Mice, and their pic nic: a good moral tale, &c; by a looking-glass maker., Cf. Gumuchian, 4030., Cf. Osborne Coll., p. 635., Probably Elliott's first published work; cf. Moon, cited below., In verse., Wood engravings: frontispiece, illustrated plates. Frontispiece included in pagination., "Entered at Stationers' hall"--t.p. verso.

: Molly Mopkins and her parrot; Cover title., Illustrations hand-colored., Publisher's advertisements on p. [4] of cover., No. 3857 in: Shaw, J.M., Childhood in poetry.

: More Nonsense

: Musical carcanet: a choice collection of the most admired popular songs, arranged for the voice, flute, and violin

: Mutter- und Kose- Lieder: Dichtung und Bilder zur edlen Pflege des Kindeheitlebens ; eins Familienbuch; von Friedrich Fröbel ; mit Randzeichnungen, erklärendem Texte und Singweisen., Contains lyrics only., At head of title: Kommt, lasst uns unsern Kindern leben!, With: Vierundvierzig Mutter- Kose- und Spiellieder : zur edlen Pflege des Kindheitlebens / von Friedrich Fröbel.

: My mother; by the author of "Three little kittens."., Illustrations are hand colored.

: National characters exhibited in forty geographical poems: with plates; Contents: The Iceland guide -- The Lapland boy -- The Norway hunter -- The Danish sailor -- The Swedish miner's wife -- The Russian youth -- The English banker -- The Scotch law student -- The Irish officer -- The Welch curate -- The Dutch labourer -- The Polish peasant -- The French cottage girl -- The German physician -- The Swiss soldier -- The Spanish mountaineer -- The Portuguese gardener -- The Italian artist -- The Turkish carpet weaver -- The Greek captain of a ship -- The wild Arabian boys -- The Persian girls -- The Indian shawl weaver -- The Tartar herdsman -- The Chinese servant boy -- The Japanese servant girl -- The Kamschatsdale fisherman -- The Greenland wife -- The Canadian widow -- The Philadelphian bookseller -- The Mexican cocoa gardener -- The Brazilian merchant -- The Otaheitian youth -- The Molucca maiden -- The Gonaqua Hottentot herdsman -- The Negro kings -- The Abyssinian child -- The Egyptian nobleman -- The Moorish pirate., by Miss O'Keeffe ..., In verse., Dedication to "the Right Honourable the Ladies Susan and Louisa Somerset, (Daughters of Her Grace the Duchess of Beaufort)", dated from Myrtle Cottage, Ryde, Isle of Wight, October, 1818., Publisher's advertisement: [1] p. at end., Includes footnotes; many referring to Guthrie's Geographical, historical, and commercial geography (1812 ed.).

: Naughty comet: and other stories and rhymes collected from "The joyous story of Toto", "Toto's; by Laura E. Richards.

: New England primer; Front and last page mounted on inside of cover., Running title., Signatures: [A]-H., Gift of Miss Miriam Bass., Clipping tipped in back inside cover. Notes variations on "Prayer at Lying Down" on page 17., Library's copy imperfect: Lacks title page, pages 1-10 and all after page 50 wanting., Title supplied by cataloger.

: New Joan; From Shaw Bibliography: "These are chiefly songs of women's work, but there is a Christmas song for soldiers."

: Niobe: a prize poem, recited in the theatre at Oxford, in the year 1814 ; Biography : a prize essay, recited in the theatre at Oxford, June 3, 1818; [John Leycester Adolphus].

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John MacKay Shaw Childhood in Poetry Collection

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