Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. The book represents a celebration of Whitman's philosophy of life and humanity, praising nature and the individual's role in it, and cataloguing the expansiveness of American democracy. It is recognized as one of the central works of American poetry. Whitman self-published the first edition in 1855, a slim volume of twelve untitled poems, and continued revising and expanding the work until his death in 1892. Depending on how a new edition is defined, either six or nine separate editions were produced, resulting in vastly different copies circulating during his lifetime; the final edition contained over 400 poems. The collection was notable for its candid discussion of sensual pleasures and explicit sexual imagery, which made it highly controversial and drew derision from many contemporary critics. Over time, however, it has become a foundational work of American poetry. Whitman’s poems generally do not rhyme or follow conventional meter, focusing instead on the body and the material world. Early editions included poems later titled “Song of Myself,” “Song of the Open Road,” “I Sing the Body Electric,” “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking,” and “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” Later editions added the elegy for Abraham Lincoln, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.” The first edition’s cover featured an engraving of Whitman in work clothes, meant to represent the American working man, and the book was small enough to be carried in a pocket. Whitman sent a copy to Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose essay “The Poet” had inspired the work; Emerson responded with a letter praising it as “the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed,” which was later published without permission in the New York Tribune.
- author
- Walt Whitman
- field
- Poetry
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Leaves of Grass poetry collection
Lore & Background
The first edition was a slim tract of twelve poems, and the last was a compilation of over 400 poems. Either six or nine separate editions were produced, depending on how one defines a new edition. The continual modifications resulted in vastly different copies circulating in Whitman's lifetime. The title is a pun, as 'grass' was a term given by publishers to works of minor value, and 'leaves' is another name for pages. The first edition included an engraving of Whitman in work clothes, meant to represent the devil-may-care American working man. Whitman paid for and did much of the typesetting himself. The only American library known to have purchased a copy of the first edition was in Philadelphia.
Reader's Guide
Leaves of Grass was notable for its discussion of delight in sensual pleasures at a time when such candid displays were considered immoral. The book was highly controversial for its explicit sexual imagery, and Whitman was subject to derision by many contemporary critics. Over the decades, however, the collection has infiltrated popular culture and become recognized as one of the central works of American poetry. The book focuses primarily on the body and the material world rather than religious or spiritual themes. With very few exceptions, Whitman's poems do not rhyme or follow conventional rules for meter and line length. Among the poems in the early editions were 'Song of Myself', 'Song of the Open Road', 'I Sing the Body Electric', 'Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking', and 'Crossing Brooklyn Ferry'. Later editions contained Whitman's elegy to the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, 'When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd'.
Did You Know?
- The only American library known to have purchased a copy of the first edition was in Philadelphia.
- The title is a pun: 'grass' was a term for works of minor value, and 'leaves' is another name for pages.
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