Educator, philosopher, author and scholar of English and mass media
Son of Herbert Ernest McLuhan (1879 - 1966) and Elsie Naomi (Hall) McLuhan (1889 - 1961), whose name at birth was Herbert Marshall McLuhan, was born July 21, 1911 in Edmonton, Alberta Canada.
Director Centre for Culture and Technology / Toronto, Ontario Canada
University of Toronto
1946–1979
Professor (became a full professor in 1952)St. Michael’s College / Toronto, Ontario Canada
DISTINGUISHED LECTURES
1978
Lecturer Fourth Annual Pound Lecture in the Humanities / University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho USA
1971
LecturerGerstein Lecture Series / York University, Toronto, Ontario Canada
1970
LecturerMary C. Richardson Lecture / State University College of Arts and Science, Geneseo, New York USA
1970
LecturerGillett Lecture Series / University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario Canada
1970
LecturerCongressional Breakfast / Washington, District of Columbia USA
1967
LecturerPurves Memorial Lecture / American Institute of Architects, New York, New York USA
1967
LecturerMarfleet Lectures / University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario USA
1966
LecturerSecond Annual A.V.B. Geoghegan Lecture / University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
Fordham University
1967–1968
Albert Schweitzer Chair in the HumanitiesBronx, New York USA
National Association of Educational Broadcasters and U.S. Office of Education
1959–1960
DirectorProject in Understanding New Media
Explorations Magazine
1954–1959
Co-editor
Ford Foundation Seminar on Culture and Communication
1953–1955
Chairman
University of Windsor
1944–1946
Taught EnglishAssumption University / Windsor, Ontario Canada
Saint Louis University
1937–1944
Taught EnglishSt. Louis, Missouri USA
University of Wisconsin
1936–1937
Teaching AssistantMadison, Wisconsin USA
Professional affiliations
1973
Vatican Pontifical Commission for Social CommunicationsVatican City, ItalyConsultor
1964
The Royal Society of CanadaOttawa, Ontario CanadaFellow
Accomplishments of note
2015
Author, non-fiction: Culture Is Our Business (Publisher: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1st Edition, 1970)Wipf and Stock Publishers / Eugene, Oregon USA
with Foreword by Eric McLuhanSequel to The Mechanical Bride: Folklore of Industrial Man. Translated into Spanish
2011
Author, non-fiction: Media and Formal CausePublisher: NeoPoiesis Press, LLC / Houston, Texas USA
with Eric McLuhan (Author)One of the 10 best books of 2011 - Artforum Magazine
2011
Author, non-fiction: The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man, (1st Edition 1962); reprinted 1966, 1967, 1968, 1980, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division, Centennial Edition / Toronto, Ontario CANADA
with New essays by W. Terrence Gordon, Elena Lamberti and Dominique Scheffel-DunandTranslated into French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Catalan, Greek, Chinese, Czech, Galician, Romanian, Basque, Serbo-Croat, Swedish, Turkish and Russian
2011
Author, non-fiction, bestseller: The Medium Is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects (Publisher: Bantam Books/Random House, 1st Edition, 1967)Publisher: Gingko Press Inc. / Berkeley, California USA
with Quentin Fiore (Author) and co-ordinated by Jerome AgelTranslated into German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese
2011
Author, non-fiction: Counterblast: 1954 FacsimilePublisher: Gingko Press Inc. / Berkeley, California USA
with W. Terrence Gordon (Author)Distributed in 1954 as a hand-made 'zine'. Translated into French.
2011
Author, non-fiction: From Cliche to Archetype (Publisher: The Viking Press, 1st Edition, 1970)Publisher: Gingko Press Inc. / Berkeley, California USA
with Wilfred Watson (Author)Translated into French, Italian and Spanish
2011
Author, non-fiction: Theories of CommunicationPublisher: Peter Lang Publishing Group / New York, New York USA
with Eric McLuhan
2010
Author, non-fiction: The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion and MediaPublisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers / Eugene, Oregon USA
with Jacek Szklarek (Editor) and Eric McLuhan (Contributor)
2010
Author, non-fiction: Counterblast (Publisher: Harcourt-Brace (1969) London: Rapp & Whiting, Canada: McClelland & Stewart)Publisher: Gingko Press Inc. / Berkeley, California USA
with Harley Parker (Illustrator)Translated into Spanish
2006
Author, non-fiction: The Classical Trivium - The Place of Thomas Nashe in the Learning of his TimePublisher: Gingko Press Inc. / Berkeley, California USA
with W. Terrence Gordon (Editor)
2005
Author, non-fiction: McLuhan UnboundPublisher: Gingko Press Inc. / Berkeley, California USA
with Eric McLuhan (Editor) and W. Terrance Gordon (Editor)
2003
Author, non-fiction: Understanding Me: Lectures and InterviewsPublisher: McClelland and Stewart / Toronto, Ontario USA
with an introductory essay by Tom Wolfe, edited by Stephanie McLuhan and David StainesNineteen previously unpublished lectures and interviews
2003
Author, non-fiction: Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 1st Edition, 1964; Publisher: Mentor, 2nd Edition, 1966)Publisher: Gingko Press Inc., Critical Edition / Berkeley, California USA
with Edit by W. Terrence GordonBest-known book. Translated into Italian, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Czech, Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Hebrew, Czech, Finnish, Korean, Lithuanian and Polish
2002
Television Documentary: Marshall McLuhan's ABCTVOntario Production / Toronto, Ontario CANADAIncludes footage of interviews with McLuhan and his family members
2002
Television documentary: Out of Orbit: The Life and Times of Marshall McLuhan / Carl Bessai, Director, writer and cinematographyRaven West Films Ltd. in association with CBC Television
with Manfred Becker (Writer); Laura Lightbown (Producer); Manfred Becker (Editor); and Vince Ma (Music)
2002
Author, non-fiction: The Mechanical Bride: Folklore of Industrial Man (Publisher: Vanguard Press, 1st Edition 1951)Publisher: Gingko Press Inc. / Corte Madera., California USA (reissue)Translated into German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and French
2002
Documentary: McLuhan’s WakeProduced by Primitive Entertainment / co-production with the National Film Board of Canada, in association with TVOntario
with Written by David Sobelman and directed by Kevin McMahon; conceived and co-produced by David Sobelman
2002
Television Documentary: The McLuhan Probes / produced and directed by David Sobelman.TVOntario Production / Toronto, Ontario CANADA
with Steven Pinchuck, Editor; Rudy Buttignol, Executive Producer
2002
Author, non-fiction: The Book of ProbesPublisher: Gingko Press Inc. / Berkeley, California USA
with David Carson; edited and introduced by Eric McLuhan and William Kuhns
2001
Author, non-fiction: War and Peace in the Global Village: An Inventory of Some of the Current Spastic Situations That Could Be Eliminated By More Feedforward (Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 1st Edition, 1968)Publisher: Gingko Press Inc. / Berkeley, California USA
with Quentin Fiore (Author) and coordinated by Jerome AgelTranslated into French, German, Spanish and Russian
1999
Audio recording: The Medium is the Massage with Marshall McLuhanSME Records, SRCS 8912 / JAPANOriginal mono recording released on LP; Columbia, CS 9501, CL 2701 / USA 1968
1996
Audio recording: Understanding McLuhanCD-ROM co-produced by Southam Interactive and The Voyager Company
1996
Documentary: The Video McLuhanSet of six video tapes
with Written by Tom Wolfe and produced by Stephanie McLuhan-Ortved
1988
Author, non-fiction: Laws of Media: The New SciencePublisher: University of Toronto Press / Toronto, Ontario CANADA
with Eric McLuhan (Author)Translated into Italian and Bulgarian
1988
Author, non-fiction: The Global Village: Transformations in World Life and Media in the 21st Century; reprinted 1992Oxford University Press, First Printing Edition / New York, New York USA
with Bruce R. Powers (Author)One of his last collaborative efforts. Translated into German and Spanish
1984
Television documentary: Marshall McLuhan: The Man and His Messagegives us Mr. McLuhan lecturing, crticizing and analyzing,
with Hosted by Tom Wolfe. Produced and directed by Stephanie McLuhan-OrtvedThe documentary gives us Mr. McLuhan lecturing, crticizing and analyzing
1977
Actor, cameo scene in Annie HallUnited Artists Production
with Written (with Marshall Brickman) and directed by Woody Allen. Starring Diane Keaton, Woody Allen, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, and Christopher Walken
1977
Author, non-fiction: City as Classroom: Understanding Language and MediaPublisher: The Book Society of Canada Limited / Agincourt, Ontario CANADA
with Kathryn Hutchon (Author) and Eric McLuhan (Author)Translated into Italian. Reprinted as Media, Messages and Language: The World as your Classroom / Publisher: National Textbook Co., Skokie, Illinois: 1980
1977
Documentary: The Bad TripAbout/against the Spadina Expressway in Toronto, Canada
with Jane Jacobs
1972
Author, non-fiction: Take Today: The Executive as Drop OutPublisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovitch, Inc.
with Barrington Nevitt
1970
Author, non-fiction: Voices of Literature, Book III: Sounds, Masks, RolesPublisher: Holt, Rinehart & Winston / New York, New York USA
with R. J. Schoeck
1969
Author, non-fiction: Marshall McLuhan’s DEW-Line NewsletterPublisher: Human Development Corporation / New York, New York USAThe newsletter was published between 1968 and 1970
1968
Author, non-fiction: Through the Vanishing Point: Space in Poetry and PaintingPublisher: Harper & Row / New York, New York; 1st Edition
with Harley Parker (Author)Translated into Italian and Portuguese
1967
Audio recording: Wyndham Lewis Recalled: Marshall McLuhan Recalls LewisThe Society For Art Publications – Volume XXIV No.11 / CANADAIncluded in issue no. 114 of ArtsCanada magazine which has features on The Great Ware, Wyndham Lewis and the underground press
1967
Author, non-fiction: Verbi-Voco-Visual ExplorationsPublisher: Something Else Press / New York, New York USA
1965
Author, non-fiction: Voices of Literature, Book TwoPublisher: Holt, Rinehart & Winston of Canada, Limited
with Richard J. Schoeck, Head of the Department of English at St. Michael’s College, University of TorontoThe second of a two-volume anthology for high schools
1964
Author, non-fiction: Voices of Literature, Book OnePublisher: Holt, Rinehart & Winston of Canada, Limited
with Richard J. Schoeck, Professor of English at St. Michael’s College, University of TorontoThe first of a two-volume anthology for high schools
1960
Editor: Explorations in Communication: An AnthologyPublisher: Beacon Press / Boston, Massachusetts USA
with Edmund Carpenter (Editor)
1960
Author, non-fiction: Report on Project in Understanding New MediaCommissioned by the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare / Washington, District of ColumbiaPrepared for the National Association of Educational Broadcasters
Professional honors and awards
1975
Appointed to the McDermott ChairUniversity of Dallas / Irving, Texas USA
1975
“Man of Achievement” DiplomaInternational Biographical Centre / Cambridge, England UK
1974
Civic “Award of Merit”Mayor David Crombie at Toronto City Hall / Toronto, Ontario Canada
1973
CitationThe Religious Educational Association of the United States and Canada
1973
Appointment as Consultor of the Pontifical Commission for Social CommunicationsVatican
1972
President’s Cabinet AwardUniversity of Detroit
1971
Christian Culture Gold Medal AwardAssumption UniversityOutstanding exponent of Christian ideals
1971
Gold Medal AwardPresident of the Italian Republic / Rimini, ItalyIn recognition of original work as philosopher of the mass media
1970
President’s AwardThe Institute of Public Relations / United Kingdom
1970
Companion of the Order of CanadaGovernor General of CanadaFor contributions to the understanding of the relationships between media and society
1967
Molson AwardCanada Council for the ArtsOutstanding Achievement in the Social Sciences
1967
Honorary Award in Culture and CommunicationNiagara University / Lewiston, New York USA
Community
Nationality
Canadian
Denomination
Roman Catholic
Education
University
University of ManitobaWinnipeg, Manitoba Canada Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)Arts and SciencesClass of 1933Won University Gold Medal
University
University of CambridgeCambridge, England UKBachelor of Arts (B.A.)EnglishDegree conferred 1936
Secondary school
Kelvin Technical SchoolWinnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Class of 1928
Master’s
University of ManitobaWinnipeg, Manitoba Canada Master of Arts (M.A.)EnglishDegree conferred 1934
Master’s
University of Cambridge Cambridge, England UKMaster of Arts (M.A.)EnglishDegree conferred 1939
Doctoral
University of CambridgeCambridge, England UKDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)LiteratureDegree conferred 1942
Publications
The Place of Thomas Nashe in the Learning of His Time
Publisher: Gingko Press2003
Ph.D. thesis, Cambridge University (1941)
George Meredith as a Poet and Dramatic Parodist
Publisher: unpublished (1934)
M.A. thesis, University of Manitoba
Native language
English
Honorary Degrees
1977
University of TorontoToronto, Ontario CanadaD. Litt. Doctor of Letters
1972
University of Western OntarioLondon, Ontario Canada D. Litt. Doctor of Letters
1971
University of AlbertaEdmonton, Alberta Canada LL. D. Doctor of Laws
1969
St. John Fisher CollegeRochester, New York USA Lit. Hum. Doctor of Humane Letters
1967
Grinnell UniversityGrinnell, Iowa USAD. Litt. Doctor of Letters
1967
Simon Fraser UniversityBurnaby, British Columbia Canada LL.D Doctor of Laws
1967
University of ManitobaWinnipeg, Manitoba USAD. Litt Doctor of Letters
1966
Assumption UniversityWindsor, Ontario CanadaD. Litt. Doctor of Letters
1965
University of WindsorWindsor, Ontario CanadaD. Litt. Doctor of Letters