About William Gowans
Lived 1803 – 1870 (aged 67). William Gowans was a bookseller.
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. His later store on Nassau Street had "three floors one hundred feet deep, crowded with books falling all over one another. Book-lovers were amazed by the large, dark cellar filled with books and by the way Gowans was acquainted with the contents of his huge collection."
He collaborated with Joseph Sabin, compiler of Bibliotheca Americana: A Dictionary of Books Relating to America.
He also has the same birthday as Joseph Wines and Laura Siviter.
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Important facts
People in William Gowans's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped William Gowans's
Frequently asked questions
Who was William Gowans?
American antiquarian bookseller (1803–1870)
When was William Gowans born?
William Gowans was born on 29 March 1803.
When did William Gowans die?
William Gowans died on 27 November 1870.
What was William Gowans's occupation?
William Gowans was a bookseller.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Gowans. https://biography.guide/william-gowans/
MLA: "William Gowans." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-gowans/.
Chicago: "William Gowans." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-gowans/.
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