 Griswold was one of the earliest proponents of teaching schoolchildren American poetry in addition to English poetry . One of his anthologies , Readings in American Poetry for the Use of Schools , was created specifically for that purpose . His knowledge in American poetry was emphasized by his claim that he had read every American poem published before 1850 — an estimated 500 volumes . " He has more literary patriotism , if the phrase be allowable ... than any person we ever knew " , wrote a contributor to Graham 's . " Since the Pilgrims landed , no man or woman has written anything on any subject which has escaped his untiring research . " Oliver Wendell Holmes , Sr. noted that Griswold researched literature like " a kind of naturalist whose subjects are authors , whose memory is a perfect fauna of all flying and creeping things that feed on ink . " 
