THE POETICAL WORKS OF HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW ILLUSTRATED [with] THE COMPLETE PROSE WORKS OF HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW With His Later Poems Illustrated [and] With a Biographical Sketch by Octavius B. Frothingham.

Boston: The Riverside Press for Houghton, Mifflin and Company, [circa 1886]. 3 volumes. The Very Fine Deluxe illustrated folio edition of Longfellow's complete works. Illustrated with very handsomely engraved portrait frontispieces with facsimile signatures in each volume, profusely illustrated throughout with hundreds of engravings by various noted artists, many of which are on full page plates, many others are half-page in size, and still other smaller engravings are present throughout the volumes along with intricately designed chapter headings. Folio, in the publisher’s best and most deluxe and impressive binding of full dark brown morocco handsomely decorated with wide ornate panels of inlaid smooth morocco double-ruled in gilt and with large gilt corner tools to all covers, the upper covers with a full gilt decorations featuring a harp and flowers and ornate gilt lettering. The spines are decorated with gilt-ruled raised bands, panels in gilt with fine gilt tools in the center of each compartment, two compartments with bright gilt lettering on smooth morocco labels, beveled board edges gilt rolled, very wide beautifully gilt paneled turn-ins, fine brown moire silk pastedowns and end-leaves, and all edges richly gilded. xvi, 488; xvi, 489-928; viii, [2] 932-1407 [2] pp. An unusually fine, very handsome and pleasing set of this stunning edition, very well preserved indeed. The bindings are strong and firm, bright and clean and near as pristine, internally they are equally fine, fresh, bright and clean with not even a hint of foxing or any real evidence of use or age. FIRST OF THIS FINE EDITION OF VERY CLASSIC AMERICAN POETRY BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED IN AN IMPRESSIVE DELUXE FOLIO FORMAT. A very beautiful and imposing early edition of Longfellow’s great American poetry. The tomes are extensively illustrated with exceptional engravings by numerous artists which represent a wide variety of styles. This edition is made all the better by the inclusion of Longfellow's prose, later poems (many of which were not included in editions issued during his lifetime) and Ms. Frothingham's fine and concise biographical sketch.
Louis Untermeyer, who writes of Longfellow's poetry: "It expresses a kindliness which is spontaneous, and a homeliness which is winning because it is so straightforward. It retains its popularity because it is unaffectedly clear, unashamedly tender, and unshakably serene." Here we find all of his groundbreaking works: such as Song of Hiawatha, Evangeline, Tales of a Wayside Inn, Paul Revere's Ride, Courtship of Miles Standish, the Village Blacksmith, Poems on Slavery, and so very many others, and all quite impressively illustrated.