Marshall McClintock

Born in Topeka, Kansas, on August 21, 1906, Marshall “Mike” McClintock graduated from Dartmouth College in 1926. Dartmouth’s archival record describes a career that included work as a clerk, sales manager, and editor of children’s and juvenile books.

He wrote across a wide range of subjects. Alongside early-reader stories for children, he also published nonfiction books such as Millions of Books: The Story of Your Library, The Story of New England, The Story of the Mississippi, and How to Build and Operate a Model Railroad. Library records also connect him with pseudonyms including Gregory Duncan, Douglas Marshall, and William Starrett.

McClintock is especially remembered for his crisp, fast-moving children’s books. A Fly Went By became a lasting Beginner Books classic, and his work still feels energetic and playful decades after it first appeared. He died on February 9, 1967.