1859 Rare Book - The Complete Poetical Works of William Cowper, Illustrated

Author: William Cowper. With a memoir by Rev. H. Stebbing, A.M.
Title: The Complete Poetical Works of William Cowper, Esq., including the Hymns and Translations from Madame Guion, Milton, etc.
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton & Company, 346 & 348 Broadway, 1859.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7 x 4.5 inches.
Pages: 687 pages.
Binding: Very good, near fine, handsome contemporary full brown leather binding, richly decorated in relief to the covers, with an elaborate blind-tooled ornamental panel and central circular medallion featuring the gilt-stamped name Cowper. Raised bands and gilt lettering to the spine (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All page edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. A very attractive Victorian gift-style binding.
Content: Very good to good content (bright, tight and clean, some light foxing and staining - as shown, a faint tide-mark appears at the bottom outer margin of a few leaves near the rear, not affecting text - as shown). The volume is complete and sound, and the engravings remain sharp and well-printed.
Illustrations: Illustrated with seven finely-engraved vignette plates throughout, including pastoral and domestic scenes characteristic of mid-19th-century poetic editions. The engravings retain strong impressions with rich tonal detail. Complete

Estimate: (USD $200— $250).

The book: A beautifully bound mid-19th-century edition of the works of William Cowper — one of the most beloved English poets of the late 18th century, admired for the intimacy, moral reflection, and emotional candor of his verse. This Appleton edition brings together Cowper’s major poems, The Task, shorter works, hymns, and translations, accompanied by a substantial memoir by Rev. H. Stebbing that situates the poet’s life, friendships, and deeply personal struggles within the broader context of English literary culture. The ornate Victorian binding, richly sculpted and gilt-decorated, reflects the period’s reverence for Cowper as both moral voice and gentle observer of nature and domestic life — a fine and evocative presentation copy-style volume, ideal for the collector of poetical works and decorative 19th-century bindings.

The author: William Cowper (1731–1800) occupies a distinctive place in English literary history, standing at the threshold between Augustan formality and the emerging sensibility of Romanticism. His verse blends moral reflection, personal introspection, and quiet observation of rural England, and his hymns — written in collaboration with John Newton — remain among the most enduring in the English devotional tradition. Deeply human, often delicate in tone, and profoundly sincere, Cowper’s poetry has continued to resonate across generations.