William Gowans (March 29, 1803 - November 27, 1870) was a prominent antiquarian bookseller in New York City.

Around 1837, he stayed as a boarder in the house where Edgar Allan Poe also lived.

[1][2][3][4] His later store on Nassau Street had "three floors one hundred feet deep, crowded with books falling all over one another.

Book-lovers were amazed by the large, dark cellar filled with books and by the way Gowans was acquainted with the contents of his huge collection.

"[5] He collaborated with Joseph Sabin, compiler of Bibliotheca Americana: A Dictionary of Books Relating to America.