Walt Whitman

In May 1860, Walt Whitman published a third edition of "Leaves of Grass." His timing was compelling. Printed during a period of regional, ideological, and political divisions, written by a poet intimately concerned with the idea of a United States as "essentially the greatest poem," this new edition was Whitman's last best hope for national salvation. Now available in a facsimile edition, "Leaves of Grass, 1860" faithfully reproduces Whitman's attempt to create a "Great construction of the New Bible" to save the nation on the eve of civil war and, for the first time, frames the book in historical rather than literary terms. In his third edition, Whitman added 146 new poems to the 32 that comprised the second edition, reorganized the book into a bible of American civic religion that could be cited chapter and verse, and included erotic poetry intended to bind the nation in organic harmony. This 150th anniversary edition includes a facsimile reproduction of the original 1860 volume, a thought-provoking introduction by antebellum historian and Whitman scholar Jason Stacy that situates Whitman in nineteenth-century America, and annotations that provide detailed historical context for Whitman's poems. A profoundly rich product of a period when America faced its greatest peril, this third edition finds the poet transforming himself into a prophet of spiritual democracy and the Whitman we celebrate today--boisterous, barbaric, and benevolent. Reprinting it now continues the poet's goal of proclaiming for "the whole of America for each / individual, without exception . . . uncompromising liberty and equality."

One of the great innovative figures in American letters, Walt Whitman created a daring new kind of poetry that became a major force in world literature. His poems have been woven into the very fabric of the American character and have continued to provide inspiration to people and poets for generations. Leaves of Grass is Whitman's masterpiece, written in a pure, uninhibited style and combining sensual and mystical sensibilities. Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose essay "The Poet" inspired the work, praised it, saying"I find it the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed." Self-published in 1855, it was repeatedly expanded and revised by Whitman throughout the rest of his life. This recording follows the final, most complete edition which appeared in 1892, the year of Whitman's death. Among the poems in the collection are "Song of Myself," "I Sing the Body Electric," and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," Whitman's elegy to the assassinated president Abraham Lincoln.

Whitman is today regarded as America's Homer or Dante, and his work the touchstone for literary originality in the New World. In Leaves of Grass, he abandoned the rules of traditional poetry - breaking the standard metred line, discarding the obligatory rhyming scheme, and using the vernacular. Emily Dickinson condemned his sexual and physiological allusions as `disgraceful', but Emerson saw the book as the `most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed'. A century later it is his judgement of this autobiographical vision of the vigour of the American nation that has proved the more enduring. This is the most up-to-date edition for student use, with full critical apparatus. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

This vintage book contains Walt Whitman's seminal collection of poetry, "Leaves of Grass". Including various readings, together with first drafts of certain poems, rejected passages, and poems that were excluded from later editions, this book is highly recommended for fans of Whitman's work. It would make for a worthy addition to any poetic collection. The verses include: "Sail out for Good, Eid lon Yacht ", "Lingering Last Drops", "Good-Bye My Fancy", "On, On the Same, Ye Jocund Twain ", "My 71st Year", "Apparitions", "The Pallid Wreath", "An Ended Day", "Old Age's Ship and Crafty's Death", "To the Pending Year", etcetera. Walter "Walt" Whitman (1819 - 1892), was a celebrated American poet, essayist and journalist. He is one of the most influential poets in American literature, and is often referred to as the father of free verse. His writings were extremely controversial in his time, a statement that is especially true for "Leaves of Grass"; considered to be obscenely sexual when first published. Many texts such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.