author
James Ewing Cooley
1802–1882
Best known for a vivid 1840s travel book on Egypt, Arabia Petraea, and the Holy Land, this 19th-century New Yorker also moved in the worlds of bookselling, politics, and public life. His writing carries the curiosity of a traveler who saw publishing and culture from the inside.
1 Audiobook
The Spawn of Ixion; Or, The 'Biter Bit.' An Allegory
by James Ewing Cooley
About the author
Born in 1802, he was an American bookseller, auctioneer, politician, and author whose career was closely tied to New York City. He served in the New York State Senate in 1852 and was also part of the advisory board involved in planning Central Park.
Alongside his public work, he was active in the book trade, helping run major New York book auctions under firms including Cooley & Bangs and later Cooley, Keese & Hill. He married Maria Louisa Appleton, daughter of publisher Daniel Appleton, linking him to one of the best-known publishing families of the period.
For readers today, he is chiefly remembered for The American in Egypt: with Rambles Through Arabia Petraea and the Holy Land, During the Years 1839 and 1840, published in 1842. He died on August 19, 1882, at Bagni di Lucca in Italy, where he had been living for several years.