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Delight in the work that forever changed the course of American poetry

In 1855, Walt Whitman published -- at his own expense -- the first edition of Leaves of Grass, a visionary volume of twelve poems. Showing the influence of a uniquely American form of mysticism known as Transcendentalism, which eschewed the general society and culture... Read Full Overview

"I am large, I contain multitudes"

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 metered line, discarding the obligatory rhyming scheme, and using... Read Full Overview

This excellent edition is listed on the College Board Advanced Placement reading list for AP English. A work that was very controversial in its time, "Leaves of Grass" has become a classic of English literature. This large print edition of Walt Whitman's collection of poems is... Read Full Overview

In 1855, a small volume appeared, self-published by a failed Brooklyn journalist and carpenter: twelve untitled poems and a preface announcing the author's aims. A commercial failure, this book was the first stage of a massive, lifelong enterprise. Six editions and thirty-seven... Read Full Overview

As featured in AMC's Breaking Bad, given by Gale Boetticher to Walter White and discovered by Hank Schrader.

'I spring from the pages into your arms'

Abraham Lincoln read it with approval, but Emily Dickinson described its bold language and themes as "disgraceful." Ralph Waldo Emerson found it "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet produced." Published at the author's expense on July 4, 1855,... Read Full Overview

One of the great innovative figures in American letters, Walt Whitman created a daringly new kind of poetry that became a major force in world literature. Leaves Of Grass is his one book. First published in 1855 with only twelve poems, it was greeted by Ralph Waldo Emerson as... Read Full Overview

Abraham Lincoln read it with approval, but Emily Dickinson described its bold language and themes as "disgraceful." Ralph Waldo Emerson found it "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet produced." Published at the author's expense on July 4, 1855,... Read Full Overview

Ralph Waldo Emerson issued a call for a great poet to capture and immortalize the unique American experience. In 1855, an answer came with Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass . Today, this masterful collection remains not only a seminal event in American literature but also the incomparable... Read Full Overview

Abraham Lincoln read it with approval, but Emily Dickinson described its bold language and themes as "disgraceful." Ralph Waldo Emerson found it "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet produced." Published at the author's expense on July 4, 1855,... Read Full Overview