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The Annotated Edition

PROSE AND POETRY. by James Russell Lowell

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

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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.

Poet
James Russell Lowell
Themes
art, home, identity
The PoemFull text

PROSE AND POETRY.

James Russell Lowell

_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.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

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.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. _New Riverside Edition._ Same style as _Riverside_. Longfellow and Whittier.

    Editor's note

    This opening line serves as a marketing header. It informs buyers that Lowell's collected works are being released in the same prestigious format as the editions already available for his contemporaries, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and John Greenleaf Whittier—essentially indicating literary status and appeal for matching on the shelf.

  2. The set, 12 vols. crown 8vo, gilt top, each (except vols. 11 and 12), $1.50...

    Editor's note

    This text reads like typical marketing material: it mentions the volume count, the physical book size (with 'crown 8vo' referring to a common page trim), and the decorative finish (where 'gilt top' indicates gilded page edges). It also outlines a tiered pricing structure. Volumes 11 and 12 are priced a bit lower, probably because they were released later or are shorter in content.

  3. Prose Works. (Vols. 1-6, 11, 12.) Separate, $11.50.

    Editor's note

    The catalogue divides the set into two purchasable subsets—prose and poetry—allowing buyers to choose just one half if they prefer. The prose volumes feature Lowell's well-known essay collections along with his political and literary addresses.

  4. 1-4. Literary Essays (including My Study Windows, Among my Books, Fireside Travels)...

    Editor's note

    This final block lists the contents, linking volume numbers to their respective titles and providing readers with a clear overview of the set. 'My Study Windows' and 'Among My Books' are two of Lowell's most famous essay collections, while 'The Old English Dramatists' (vol. 12) represents a later scholarly effort.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

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.

§05Symbols & metaphors

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.

§06Historical context

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.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

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.

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