McGonagall’s first book of collected poems was published in 1890. Entitled Poetic gems selected from the works of William McGonagall, poet and tragedian with biographical sketch by the author and portrait, almost all subsequent volumes of McGonagall poetry have taken their lead from its name. The volume included his Brief Autobiography as well as the poems listed below:
- An Ode to the Queen on her Jubilee Year
- The Death of Prince Leopold
- The Death of Lord and Lady Dalhousie
- The Funeral of the German Emperor
- The Battle of Tel-el-Kebir
- The Famous Tay Whale
- The Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay
- The Newport Railway
- The Tay Bridge Disaster
- An Address to the New Tay Bridge
- The Late Sir John Ogilvy
- The Rattling Boy from Dublin
- The Burial of the Reverend George Gilfillan
- The Battle of El-Teb
- The Battle of Abu Klea
- A Christmas Carol
- The Christmas Goose
- An Autumn Reverie
- The Wreck Of The Steamer “London”, While on her way to Australia
- The Wreck of the “Thomas Dryden”
- Attempted Assassination of the Queen
- Saving a Train [Version 1]
- The Moon
- The Beautiful Sun
- Grace Darling or The Wreck of the “Forfarshire”
- To Mr James Scrymgeour, Dundee
- The Battle of Bannockburn
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Oban
- The Battle of Flodden Field
- Greenland’s Icy Mountains
