1871 Rare Book bound by Ramage - The Poetical Works of Longfellow, Illustrated
Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Illustrated by John Gilbert.
Title: The Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Author’s Complete Edition.
Publisher: London, George Routledge and Sons, 1871.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8 x 6 inches.
Pages: xix-504 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good full red crushed morocco binding by Ramage (London), with richly gilt filigree cornerpieces on both boards, double gilt fillet borders, and five raised bands to the spine, each compartment elaborately gilt-tooled. Gilt title to spine and upper cover. (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown, front cover slightly darkened - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All edges gilt (AEG). Elaborate gilt dentelles framing stunning marbled endpapers typical of Ramage workshops.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, light to moderate foxing mostly confined to preliminaries, including foxing around the frontispiece portrait and title pages, a common trait of Routledge productions of this period - as shown). Otherwise bright, with strong impressions of the illustrations.
Illustrations: Illustrated throughout by John Gilbert, with numerous full-page steel engravings including Voices of the Night, Evangeline, The Song of Hiawatha, The Courtship of Miles Standish, and The New England Tragedies. The engravings are delicately rendered, retaining excellent tonal contrast.
Estimate: (USD 200–250).
The book: This 1871 Author’s Complete Edition of Longfellow’s poetical works combines the enduring literary force of America’s most beloved 19th-century poet with the refinement of an exquisite Ramage, London binding — among the most respected English binders of the Victorian era, renowned for precision, harmony of design, and luminous gilt work.
The volume gathers Longfellow’s foundational poetic cycles: Voices of the Night, Evangeline, The Song of Hiawatha, The Courtship of Miles Standish, The New England Tragedies, and more — an essential corpus that cemented his influence on American and transatlantic literary culture.
The engravings by John Gilbert, a prolific illustrator of the period, enrich the reading experience with atmospheric compositions that amplify Longfellow’s lyrical narratives. Copies illustrated and handsomely bound such as this one were often presented as gift editions in the late Victorian era.
The author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) stands as one of the defining voices of 19th-century American poetry. A professor at Harvard, linguist, translator, and poet of immense popularity, he brought a European sensibility to American letters while celebrating distinctly American themes.
Works such as The Song of Hiawatha, Paul Revere’s Ride, and The Courtship of Miles Standish shaped American cultural memory for generations. Longfellow’s mastery of cadence, clarity, and emotional resonance made his poems accessible yet profound, establishing him as a bridge between Old World tradition and New World imagination.
The illustrator: Sir John Gilbert (1817–1897) was one of Victorian England’s most prolific illustrators and painters, admired for his dramatic line work and ability to convey narrative intensity. Best known for his extensive illustrations for Shakespeare and the British classics, Gilbert brought the same atmospheric depth to Longfellow’s poetical landscapes.
His engravings in this edition — from the ethereal Voices of the Night to the dynamic scenes of Hiawatha — elevate the volume from mere collected poems to a richly visual artistic object, making the edition particularly desirable to collectors of Victorian illustrated books.