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[CCBC-Net] Minders of Make-Believe: May Massee & Horn Book
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From: leonardsma at aol.com <leonardsma>
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:37:18 -0400
That's the one documented example I came across, so I can't say for sure. And Robert McCloskey was perhaps the artist she was closest to, as she even made available to him and his family a house near her own, north of New York City, for the McCloskeys to live in during the winter for a number of years (I'd always pictured themliving year round on that island in Maine!) But I think there's no doubt that May Massee wielded a great deal of influence at a time when professional roles in the field were less distinct than they later became. Children's book publishing then was a start-up industry and boosterism (and a certain amount of behind-the-scenes manipulation, it seems) may have been tolerated for the sake of getting the whole thing off the ground.
Leonard S. Marcus
54 Willow Street, #2A
Brooklyn, New York 11201
tel 718 596-1897
e-mail leonardsma at aol.com
web www.leonardmarcus.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Kathleen Horning <horning at education.wisc.edu>
To: ccbc-net at lists.education.wisc.edu
Sent: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 5:16 pm
Subject: [CCBC-Net] Minders of Make-Believe: May Massee & Horn Book
I am up to the 1970s in "Minders of Make-Believe" and so far the anecdote I have found most shocking is the one about May Massee's involvement in a Horn Book review of one of one of the books on her list, "Homer Price," published in 1943. Not only did she nix the reviewer HB editor Bertha Mahony Miller had selected, she suggested one of her own, a friend of author Robert McCloskey, whose closest connection to children's literature was that he had designed May Massee's office. And Miller agreed to this! No wonder other editors used to joke that May Massee tallied the final Newbery and Caldecott votes every year. They may not have been far from the truth. Leonard, was this kind of meddling typical of Massee? Thanks, KT Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park Street Madison, WI 53706 Tel: 608-263-3721 Fax: 608-262-4933 horning at education.wisc.edu http://www.education.wisc.edu/c
cbc/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Fern Kory <fkory at eiu.edu> Date: Monday, July 21, 2008 3:23 pm Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Minders of Make-Believe: Taste Makers To: leonardsma at aol.com Cc: ccbc-net at lists.education.wisc.edu > _______________________________________________ > CCBC-Net mailing list > CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu > Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... > http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net _______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
Received on Mon 21 Jul 2008 04:37:18 PM CDT
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:37:18 -0400
That's the one documented example I came across, so I can't say for sure. And Robert McCloskey was perhaps the artist she was closest to, as she even made available to him and his family a house near her own, north of New York City, for the McCloskeys to live in during the winter for a number of years (I'd always pictured themliving year round on that island in Maine!) But I think there's no doubt that May Massee wielded a great deal of influence at a time when professional roles in the field were less distinct than they later became. Children's book publishing then was a start-up industry and boosterism (and a certain amount of behind-the-scenes manipulation, it seems) may have been tolerated for the sake of getting the whole thing off the ground.
Leonard S. Marcus
54 Willow Street, #2A
Brooklyn, New York 11201
tel 718 596-1897
e-mail leonardsma at aol.com
web www.leonardmarcus.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Kathleen Horning <horning at education.wisc.edu>
To: ccbc-net at lists.education.wisc.edu
Sent: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 5:16 pm
Subject: [CCBC-Net] Minders of Make-Believe: May Massee & Horn Book
I am up to the 1970s in "Minders of Make-Believe" and so far the anecdote I have found most shocking is the one about May Massee's involvement in a Horn Book review of one of one of the books on her list, "Homer Price," published in 1943. Not only did she nix the reviewer HB editor Bertha Mahony Miller had selected, she suggested one of her own, a friend of author Robert McCloskey, whose closest connection to children's literature was that he had designed May Massee's office. And Miller agreed to this! No wonder other editors used to joke that May Massee tallied the final Newbery and Caldecott votes every year. They may not have been far from the truth. Leonard, was this kind of meddling typical of Massee? Thanks, KT Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park Street Madison, WI 53706 Tel: 608-263-3721 Fax: 608-262-4933 horning at education.wisc.edu http://www.education.wisc.edu/c
cbc/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Fern Kory <fkory at eiu.edu> Date: Monday, July 21, 2008 3:23 pm Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Minders of Make-Believe: Taste Makers To: leonardsma at aol.com Cc: ccbc-net at lists.education.wisc.edu > _______________________________________________ > CCBC-Net mailing list > CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu > Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... > http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net _______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
Received on Mon 21 Jul 2008 04:37:18 PM CDT
