American Poetry: A Representative Collection of the buy Best Verse by American Writers edited by William Michael Rossetti [ca. 1880-1890]

London: Ward, Lock, and Co., no date [ca. 1880-1890]. Reprint. 512 pp. Hardcover.

A beautiful collection of 19th century American poetry intended for English audiences. This volume includes "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman, "Only a Year" by Harriet Beecher Stowe, "The Humble Bee" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant, and "To Lucy" by Alice Cary, among others.

During the Victorian Era, advances in manufacturing and printing technology allowed publishers to produce attractive books at affordable prices that were popular among members of the newly literate working class. Whereas one used to require a certain degree of wealth to purchase a book (which would have been issued plainly) and then finely bound in a personal style by a binder, these new collectible series allowed less affluent readers to similarly create a cohesive, attractive library at a reasonable rate.

Publisher's decorative boards, all edges gilt. Near fine, prize bookplate on the front buy free endpaper, ownership inscription on a front endpaper, a few pages lightly spotted.