Leaves of Grass, 1860

The 150th Anniversary Facsimile Edition

Fiction & Literature, Poetry, American
Cover of the book Leaves of Grass, 1860 by Walt Whitman, University of Iowa Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Walt Whitman ISBN: 9781587298776
Publisher: University of Iowa Press Publication: March 1, 2011
Imprint: University Of Iowa Press Language: English
Author: Walt Whitman
ISBN: 9781587298776
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Publication: March 1, 2011
Imprint: University Of Iowa Press
Language: English

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.”

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.”

More books from University of Iowa Press

Cover of the book Fandom as Classroom Practice by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book Nola by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book Others Had It Worse by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book A Potter's Workbook by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book Tremulous Hinge by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book Whitman among the Bohemians by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book Making Americans by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book bodys by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book What Counts as Love by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book The Future of Family Farms by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book The Sacred Cause of Union by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book The Portrait and the Book by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book The Penelope Project by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book The Prairie in Seed by Walt Whitman
Cover of the book A Nation Empowered, Volume 2 by Walt Whitman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy