William Gowans (March 29, 1803 - November 27, 1870) was a prominent

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

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.(30 November 1870)
Obituary: William Gowans
'' The New York Times''Dickinson, Donald C
The Late William Gowans
''American Bibliopolist'', p. 127-29 (Vol. 4, No. 39) (March 1872)Dictionary of American Antiquarian Bookdealers
p. 86 (1998)Andrews, W.L
The Old Booksellers of New York
'' The Bookman (New York)'', p. 130-32 (Vol. I, No. 2.) March 1895)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gowans, William Antiquarian booksellers Scottish emigrants to the United States 1803 births 1870 deaths American antiquarians American booksellers 19th-century American businesspeople