PROSE AND POETRY. by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This isn't a poem — it's an entry from a publisher's catalogue that details the volumes, formats, and prices of James Russell Lowell's collected works in the New Riverside Edition.
The poem
_New Riverside Edition._ Same style as _Riverside_. Longfellow and Whittier. With Portraits. The set, 12 vols. crown 8vo, gilt top, each (except vols. 11 and 12), $1.50, vols. 11 and 12, each, $1.25, the set, 12 vols., $17.50, half calf, $33.00, half calf, gilt top, $36.00, half levant, $48.00. Prose Works. (Vols. 1-6, 11, 12.) Separate, $11.50. Poems (Vols. 7-10) Separate, $6.00. 1-4. Literary Essays (including My Study Windows, Among my Books, Fireside Travels), 5. Political Essays, 6. Literary and Political Addresses, 7-10. Poems, 11. Latest Literary Essays and Addresses, 12. The Old English Dramatists.
This isn't a poem — it's an entry from a publisher's catalogue that details the volumes, formats, and prices of James Russell Lowell's collected works in the New Riverside Edition. It provides information on which books were offered, their bindings, and the cost for readers in the late 19th century.
Line-by-line
_New Riverside Edition._ Same style as _Riverside_. Longfellow and Whittier.
The set, 12 vols. crown 8vo, gilt top, each (except vols. 11 and 12), $1.50...
Prose Works. (Vols. 1-6, 11, 12.) Separate, $11.50.
1-4. Literary Essays (including My Study Windows, Among my Books, Fireside Travels)...
Tone & mood
There’s no real literary tone to speak of. The style is strictly commercial and informational—dry, precise, and transactional. The detailed listing of binding options (half calf, half levant) and price points gives off a subtle hint of Victorian gentility, suggesting that the reader is someone who appreciates books and has a taste for collecting within moderate means.
Symbols & metaphors
- Gilt top binding — In Victorian book culture, a gilt-top edition was seen as a symbol of prestige and durability. Opting for this edition indicated that you were purchasing a book meant to be kept and showcased, rather than simply read.
- Crown 8vo format — A standard mid-size book format from that time. Mentioning it serves as a practical detail, but it also positions Lowell's works within the respectable middle tier of publishing—serious, yet not overly large.
- Longfellow and Whittier — Naming these two poets in the opening line serves a strategic purpose. It positions Lowell alongside the well-regarded trio of New England Fireside Poets, suggesting that his works deserve a spot on the same shelf—both literally and culturally.
Historical context
James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) was a key figure in 19th-century American literature—he was a poet, essayist, and the editor of the Atlantic Monthly, as well as a diplomat later in his career. In the 1890s, Houghton Mifflin published The New Riverside Edition as part of a wider initiative to elevate the New England Fireside Poets (including Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and Lowell) through uniform collected editions intended for middle-class home libraries. These editions represented a significant commercial and cultural endeavor: they presented American literary identity as something tangible that could be purchased, bound in calf leather, and displayed on a shelf. The pricing and binding choices noted here illustrate the tiered gift-book market of the Gilded Age, where the same text could be available at a low price in cloth or a high price in morocco leather, catering to varying budgets and aspirations.
FAQ
No. Even though it's listed under 'Prose and Poetry,' this text is actually a publisher's catalogue entry — a commercial listing detailing volumes, bindings, and prices for Lowell's collected works. It lacks verse form, figurative language, and any literary intent. It was likely included in a collection or appendix solely as bibliographic reference material, rather than as a creative piece.
Houghton Mifflin, located in Boston, was the leading publisher of classic American literature during the late 19th century. They also created uniform editions for Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and other Fireside Poets.
It is a book size. '8vo' (octavo) indicates that the printer's sheet was folded three times, creating eight leaves (or sixteen pages). 'Crown' refers to the particular paper size used, leading to a book that measures about 7.5 by 5 inches — a nice, mid-sized volume for reading.
It refers to the top edges of the book's pages being gilded — covered with gold or a gold-like material. This decorative finish is linked to high-quality editions and serves to protect the pages from dust while also looking striking on a shelf.
These are binding styles. 'Half calf' refers to a style where the spine and corners are made from calfskin leather, while the rest of the boards are covered in cloth or paper — resulting in a durable and attractive finish. 'Half levant' features a finer, pebble-grained goatskin leather and is considered the more expensive and prestigious choice.
Among the prose, *My Study Windows* (1871) and *Among My Books* (two series, 1870 and 1876) were his most famous essay collections — broad literary criticism expressed in a friendly, conversational tone. *Fireside Travels* (1864) is a more casual travel and sketch book. The poems (vols. 7–10) feature his satirical *Biglow Papers* and various odes.
The catalogue doesn't state it clearly, but volumes 11 and 12 — *Latest Literary Essays and Addresses* and *The Old English Dramatists* — were probably added to the collection after the initial ten-volume edition was released, and they might be physically shorter or published under slightly different conditions.
Quite a bit. It reveals a tiered market: you can purchase individual volumes, a prose-only collection, a poetry-only collection, or the complete set in various binding qualities, all at different price points. The prices range from $17.50 (cloth) to $48.00 (half levant) for the same twelve books, highlighting a culture where the physical object served as a status symbol, not merely a means to convey text.