Marcus A. McCorison (1926 –2013) was a bibliographer, librarian and historian of American printing and book history. He was President of the American Antiquarian Society (AAS). He was also president of the Bibliographical Society of America.
McCorison served with the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. He graduated from Ripon College in 1950 and earned master's degrees from the University of Vermont (1951) and Columbia University, School of Library Service (1954). His graduate study was interrupted by U.S. Army service as a first lieutenant in Korea in 1951–52.
His first professional position was at the Kellogg Hubbard Library in Montpelier, Vermont. In 1955 he became the chief of rare books at Dartmouth College.
McCorison was appointed librarian at the American Antiquarian Society in 1960. He was sometimes referred to as the "Grand Acquisitor," as he expanded the Society's holdings by 115,000 items and provided access to the Society's collection with a machine-readable catalogue system. He established a fellowship program for visiting scholars. He grew the AAS endowment. The Wall Street Journal characterized him as tracking down rare books like a hungry wolf. He retired from the AAS in 2013.
Selected Publications
- McCorison, Marcus A. (2010). "Printers and the Law: The Trials of Publishing Obscene Libel in Early America." The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 104: 181–217.
- McCorison, Marcus A. (2007). "Bibliography and the Book Trades: Studies in the Print Culture of Early New England." The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 101 (2): 221–25.
- McCorison, Marcus A. (1991). "The Annals of American Bibliography, or Book History, Plain and Fancy." Libraries & Culture 26.1: 14–23.
- McCorison, Marcus A. (1984). "Bibliography and Libraries at the Brink: A Jeremiad." The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 78.2.: 127–136.
- McCorison, Marcus A. (1981). Isaiah Thomas, the American Antiquarian Society and the Future. Worcester, Mass.: Reprinted from American Antiquarian Society. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society 91.
- McCorison, Marcus Allen.(1961). "A Bibliography of Vermont Bibliography and Printing." The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 55.1 (1961): 17–33.
Sources
Winship, Michael. "Marcus Allen McCorison: 17 July 1926–3 February 2013." The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 107.2 (2013): 146–150.
Marcus Allen McCorison.1926-2013 American Antiquarian Society.
William M. Bulkeley. A rare-book hunter tracks down quarry like a hungry wolf --- antiquarian society's director finds supplies dwindling, adding to the challenge. Wall Street Journal. May 06 1986.
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Kathleen de la Peña McCook
Distinguished University Professor
School of Information
University of South Florida
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