NMD Books is proud to publish this complete and unabridged Special
Collectors Edition of the final "Deathbed Version" of Walt
Whitman's literary classic, "Leaves Of Grass." (1892), and includes
a Preface to the original 1855 Edition by Whitman himself. Leaves
of Grass has its genesis in an essay called The Poet by Ralph Waldo
Emerson, published in 1845, which expressed the need for the United
States to have its own new and unique poet to write about the new
country's virtues and vices. Whitman, reading the essay,
consciously set out to answer Emerson's call as he began work on
the first edition of Leaves of Grass.Few works of literature have
as controversial and difficult a history. Unable to find a
publisher willing to take on his pioneering and unusual work, he
initially self-published it in 1855. Throughout it's turbulent
history, the book was both praised and reviled by critics, many of
whom took issue with its occassional emphasis on sensuality and
references to same-sex attraction, something that was considered
taboo during the mid-to-late 1800's. Eventually, 'Leaves of Grass'
was accepted as a groundbreaking and innovative work of literary
art, one which inspired other poets to express more universal
themes of love, attraction, and stream-of-consciousness imagery.
Whitman continued to write and re-write Leaves of Grass until his
death in 1892, and by the time this last edition was completed, the
manuscript had grown from a small book of 12 poems to a hefty tome
of almost 400 poems.It has since enjoyed massive success and stood
the test of time to become one of the greatest literary works of
all time and taken its rightful place in literary history. "The
most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet
contributed" - Ralph Waldo Emerson"A work of great beauty, power
and imagination." - Saturday Evening Post "Alive with the mythical
strength and vitality that epitomized the American experience in
the nineteenth century, Leaves of Grass continues to inspire,
uplift, and unite those who read it." - New York Times
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