MacGregor, Mary

Title

Mary MacGregor

Author

MacGregor, Mary

Language

English

Profession

Children author

Adaptations of literary classics

Storybook histories for middle school children

Histories of Greece and Rome

Biographical details

Mary Macgregor, along with H. E. Marshall, was one of the principle authors of juvenile history, who wrote for E. C & T. C. Jack during the early years of the twentieth century. Like Marshall, she collaborated on several children's series of books, including Told to the Children and Children's Heroes. Like Marshall, she also write storybook histories for middle school children.
While Marshall specialized in histories of the british Isles however, Magregor focused on Ancient Civilizations, including Greece and Rome. Her books were widely read classics, republished for many years in both the British Empire, and the United States, most recently in the the 1960's. Both sets of history books were beautifully illustrated with dozens of original color scenes from history.

Macgregor's Histories of Greece and Rome begin with the legendary past of these classic civilizations, and focus mainly on the more romantic earlier years. Her Story of Greece begins with a thorough review of many of the most famous Greek myths, and covers all of the well known incidents, characters and battles of Classical Greece. Her history ends at the age of Alexander. Likewise, her Story of Rome begins with the founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus and continues through the kingdom and republican periods, ending during the reign of Caesar Augustus.

In addition to her well-known histories of Greece and Rome, Macgregor published two other comprehensive histories of France and the Netherlands. Macgregor’s Story of France begins during the age of the Celtic Druids and continues through the Franco Prussian War. Her Netherlands, on the other hand is somewhat different is scope, focusing almost entirely on the Netherlands' War of Independence from Spain. Macgregor's version tells the whole story of one of the most important events in Protestant history in fascinating detail.

From Heritage History

Selected publications

(1907). Stories from the Ballads, Told to the Children illustrated by Katharine Cameron.

(1907) The Netherlands;by Mary MacGregor with twelve reproductions from original coloured drawings by A. D. M'Cormick. London. T. C. & E. C. Jack.

(1907) Stories of three saints: told to the children by Mary Macgregor ; with pictures by Mrs. P.A. Traquair. London. T. C. & E. C. Jack.

(1910). The story of Rome, from the earliest times to the death of Augustus, told to boys and girls,
by Mary Macgregor ... with twenty plates in colour by Paul Woodroffe, W. Rainey and Dudley Heath. London. T. C. & E. C. Jack.

(1907) Undine; told to the children, by Mary Macgregor, with pictures by Katharine Cameron. London. T. C. & E. C. Jack.

(1907). Stories of King Arthur's knights, told to the children by Mary Macgregor. London. T. C. & E. C. Jack.

(1908) The heroes by Charles Kingsley, told to the children by Mary MacGregor ; with pictures by Jack Matthew. London. Thomas Nelson and Sons.

(1908). Stories from the ballads told to the children by Mary Macgregor ; with pictures by Katharine Cameron. London. T. C. & E. C. Jack.

(1909) Stories from Dante told to the children by Mary Macgregor. London. T. C. & E. C. Jack.

Historias de Dante: La Divina Comedia explicada a los ninos por Mary Macgregor con illustraciones de Jose Segrelles

(1914) The story of Greece told to boys and girls,
by Mary Macgregor ... with nineteen plates in colour by Walter Crane. New York. Frederick A. Stokes Company

(1920) The Story of France told to boys and girls / byMary Macgregor...with twenty plates in color by William Rainey. New York. Frederick A. Stokes Company

Traquair, Phoebe Anna [née Moss] (1852-1936)

Relation

Anglophone women writers