William Gowans Explained

William Gowans
Birth Date:	March 29, 1803
Death Date:	November 27, 1870 (aged 67)
Occupation:	Bookseller
Signature:	Signature of William Gowans.png

William Gowans (March 29, 1803 - November 27, 1870) was a prominent antiquarian bookseller in New York City. In 1821, he emigrated to the USA with his family. Around 1837, he stayed as a boarder in the house where Edgar Allan Poe also lived. He ran a bookstore for over 40 years, and for his last 10 years was the proprietor of a famously cluttered shop overflowing with volumes on Nassau Street in lower Manhattan.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Notes and References

1. (30 November 1870). Obituary: William Gowans, The New York Times
2. Dickinson, Donald C. The Late William Gowans, American Bibliopolist, p. 127-29 (Vol. 4, No. 39) (March 1872)
3. https://books.google.com/books?id=x-6PBX7crnQC&pg=PA86 Dictionary of American Antiquarian Bookdealers
4. Andrews, W.L. The Old Booksellers of New York, The Bookman (New York), p. 130-32 (Vol. I, No. 2.) March 1895)