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Leaves of Grass

Walt WhitmanPublished by Brooklyn, New York: [for the Author] 1855

Leaves of Grass is a groundbreaking collection of poetry by Walt Whitman, first published in 1855. The work is renowned for its innovative use of free verse and its celebration of the individual, nature, and the American experience. Whitman’s poems explore themes of democracy, human connection, and the spiritual relationship between humanity and the natural world. The collection reflects his philosophy of embracing the fullness of life and the inherent divinity in all experiences.

Leaves of Grass faced bans and challenges primarily due to its explicit and controversial content, including its candid exploration of sexuality and its unconventional style. Some of Whitman’s poems were considered obscene or immoral by the standards of the time, leading to objections from more conservative audiences. Additionally, the book’s challenge to traditional forms and its bold, unorthodox subject matter contributed to its initial resistance and censorship. Despite these challenges, Leaves of Grass is now celebrated as a seminal work in American poetry and a landmark in literary history.
-First edition, first state binding. The first edition of Leaves of Grass was self-published by Whitman. Only 337 copies were bound in the initial and most elaborate binding with gilt border, marbled endpapers, and gilt edges, as here. A total of 795 copies were eventually produced. This edition "introduced the poet who, celebrating the nation by celebrating himself, has since remained at the heart of America's cultural memory" (Marki, p. 354). As a former newspaperman and printer, Whitman had an unusually close involvement in the physical aspects of the publication. The type was partially hand-set by the poet himself in the Brooklyn Heights shop of Andrew Rome, assisted by his brother, Tom. Various stop-press revisions within the first printing have been identified, with this copy exhibiting a mix of first and second states as usual. As the hand-set type jostled and occasionally fell off the hand-inked, iron-bed press, each copy is arguably unique. This book, more than any other perhaps, is said to have defined America to itself.

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