Walt Whitman: Selected Poems 1855-1892 [Paperback]

Walt Whitman (Author), Gary Schmidgall (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Stonewall Inn Editions | Publication Date: September 20, 2000

A century after his death, Whitman is still celebrated as America's greatest poet. In this startling new edition of his work, Whitman biographer Gary Schmidgall presents over two hundred poems in their original pristine form, in the chronological order in which they were written, with Whitman's original line breaks and punctuation. Included in this volume are facsimilies of Whitman's original manuscripts, contemporary-- and generally blistering-- reviews of Whitman's poetry (not surprisingly Henry James hated it), and early pre-Leaves of Grass poems that return us to the physical Whitman, rejoicing-- sometimes graphically-- in homoerotic love.

Unlike the many other available editions, all drawn from the final authorized or "deathbed" Leaves of Grass, this collection focuses on the exuberant poems Whitman wrote during the creative and sexual prime of his life, roughly between 1853 and 1860. These poems are faithfully presented as Whitman first gave them to the world-- fearless, explicit, and uncompromised-- before he transformed himself into America's respectable, mainstream Good Gray Poet through thirty years of revision, self-censorship, and suppression.

Whitman admitted that his later poetry lacked the "ecstasy of statement" of his early verse. Revealing that ecstasy for the first time, this edition makes possible a major reappraisal of our nation's first great poet.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The cosmic embrace, energy, and soulfulness of Whitman's poems are as fresh, boundless, and heated now as they were in 1855, when the first edition of Leaves of Grass was published. Numerous editions have subsequently been released, but this one is unique in its structure and emphasis. Schmidgall, the author of a biography of Whitman with the subtitle A Gay Life, presents the great poet's works in chronological order as they were first published. A notorious reviser and self-censor, Whitman reworked Leaves of Grass over the years in a process that Schmidgall describes as a "devolution rather than an evolution." Believing that Whitman was best at "first inspiration," Schmidgall highlights the gloriously operatic voice and ebullient eroticism of Whitman's most fertile period, 1853^-1860. He also restores the "richly autobiographical" Calamus sequence, thus deepening our appreciation of this ecstatic seer and poet. Donna Seaman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Finally, an edition of Whitman that doesn't overwhelm with too much material or starve with too little. Perfect for the classroom...presenting the best poems in their original form, when they were still closest to Whitman's inspiration."-- Ed Folsom, Whitman scholar and editor of the Walt Whitman Quarterly

"It's as if the silk cloth has dropped from the monument-- here at last in all its rugged, gleaming grandeur. Gary Schmidgall's thrilling new edition of Whitman restores the poet's true voice-- at once radical and intimate, tender and triumphant. This book vividly reminds us that Whitman's poems are the soul's-cry and heart's-blood of the American imagination."-- J. D. McClatchy, critic and poet

"A valuable new collection...present[ing] all the poems in their first published form."-- The New York Times Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Stonewall Inn Editions; First Edition edition (September 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312267908
• ISBN-13: 978-0312267902
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #705,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, near Huntington, Long Island, New York. On July 4, 1855, the first edition of Leaves of Grass, the volume of poems that for the next four decades would become his lifes work, was placed on sale. Although some critics treated the volume as a joke and others were outraged by its unprecedented mixture of mysticism and earthiness, the book attracted the attention of some of the finest literary intelligences. His poetry slowly achieved a wide readership in America and in England, where he was praised by Swinburne and Tennyson. (D. H. Lawrence later referred to Whitman as the"greatest modern poet, and"the greatest of Americans. Whitman suffered a stroke in 1873 and was forced to retire to Camden, New Jersey, where he would spend the last twenty years of his life. There he continued to write poetry, and in 1881 the seventh edition of Leaves of Grass was published to generally favorable reviews. However, the book was soon banned in Boston on the grounds that it was obscene literature. In January 1892 the final edition of Leaves of Grass appeared on sale, and Whitman's life work was complete. He died two months later on the evening of March 26, 1892, and was buried four days afterward at Harleigh Cemetery in Camden.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Whitman collections I have ever seen..., March 26, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Walt Whitman: Selected Poems 1855-1892 (Paperback)

Why buy this when you can just go off and buy something like the "norton" edition or some other "complete works" ? Well, people who know a little about Whitman know that there were many versions of Leaves of Grass (as many as 8 or so) and that with each edition, Whitman was constantly revising and in many ways, neutering his own poetry. By his last "deathbed" edition, nearly all of the earlier controversial material had been obscured or even removed. These "authorized versions" fall short of displaying the true mastery of poetry that Whitman possessed

This is where this book stands above all other Whitman collections. This book fully restores many of his most creative and groundbreaking poetry *in their original forms.* It is like night and day. I was shocked all over again when I read the Calamus section as Whitman originally wrote it. With the veil of Whitman's later "moralization" removed, I saw for the first time the true soul of a genuine American poetic genius. This book gives us back what was once lost.

I might suggest that this book, not being a totally complete collection of his poetry, be the perfect companion to whatever edition you currently own. For other poets especially, this book will give you an incredible insight into one of the greatest (if not *the* greatest) American poets.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the original, un-self-censored Whitman, April 21, 2004

By 

William Sommerwerck "grizzled geezer" (Renton, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Walt Whitman: Selected Poems 1855-1892 (Paperback)

There was a time I didn't much care for Whitman's poetry -- what seemed to me its self-conscious pretentiousness was a turn-off. (Whitman himself acknowledged that his style was all-too readily parodied.) It was only when, 30 years ago, I heard Rip Torn read it, I began to acknowledge its power and originality. Nevertheless, I was still bothered by an overly self-aware, "straining for effect" quality -- until I found this collection.

Gary Schmidgall has done what should have been done a century ago. His collection, comprising half of Whitman's poems (about 80% of the total number of lines he wrote), restores them to their first versions in the correct chronological sequence.

We now hear Whitman speaking to us with his original animal vigor. Whitman himself admitted this: "...there was an immediateness to the 1855 edition, an incisive directness, that was perhaps not repeated in any section of poems subsequently added to the book: a hot, unqualifying temper, an insulting arrogance (to use a few strong words) that would not have been as natural to the periods that followed. We miss the ecstasy of statement in some of the after-work..."

More significantly, Whitman's subsequent emasculation and de-sexualizing -- to confuse and obscure the issue of his sexuality -- is removed. Whitman's originals are often more graphic, more-bluntly sexual. It's easier to see why most critics were offended. It's unfortunate Whitman's changes to "Leaves of Grass" made it less controversial. Perhaps the Schmidgall edition will encourage libraries that ban "Huckleberry Finn" to also ban "Leaves of Grass."

If you haven't read the original, 1855 edition of "Leaves of Grass" -- as well as Whitman's unsigned (and bluntly meretricious) reviews, and the contemporary reviews of academic critics -- you haven't read Whitman. I was especially moved by the last few pages of "Song of Myself," which I had never read.

Schmidgall includes a copious quantity of notes, excerpts, and reviews. The material from Whitman's notebooks make it clear he knew exactly what he was doing -- creating a new, original, wholly American poetry not modeled on Classic, European, or British forms -- and why. If America is the land of self-definition, Whitman was the first American poet to make that self-centeredness the focus of his works.

This edition is a must-own for anyone with the least interest in Whitman. Or dis-interest, for that matter. You might change your mind.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exceptional edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass and related writings, October 9, 2006

By 

One More Option (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walt Whitman: Selected Poems 1855-1892 (Paperback)

What are characteristics of Leaves of Grass that are uncommon in literary masterworks? It was originally published anonymously. It was originally self-published. Whitman paid to have it printed & bound. While most books are published and never significantly revised, "L of G" was a lifelong work in progress, revised repeatedly, changing as the author changed. There are many "Leaves of Grass" publications for sale. I recommend this version for the following reasons:

a) The poems are presented in groupings, showing the development of the poetry collection over Whitman's lifetime, from the brief 1855 first edition, through the many different editions, up to the expansive 1991-92 edition. This edition focuses on the first version of each poem before Whitman's later versions "toned down" some of his verse.
b) In addition to introductory comments, this edition includes the various prefaces, unpublished introductions, & "A Backward Glance O'er Travel'd Roads" from the original "L of G" publications.
c) It includes Ralph Waldo Emerson's famous congratulatory letter and Whitmans' reply letter.
d) It includes contemporary reviews (including those written by Whitman himself) from 1855 to 1891
e) It includes a historical timeline of Whitman's life.
f) It is a large page format, easy to read, splay out, underline, and write in the margins.
g) It includes one version of many of the Leaves of Grass poems. If this version also included many of the revisions, showing the edits of the poems, I would like this version even more (look at Bartleby's online for more information about the various versions of each poem).

Leaves of Grass is "too much" for many people. It can be critiqued as hyperbole and excess. To suggest it is not in praise of overt sexuality would be like suggesting to mothers that babies still come from storks. To suggest it is not about homosexuality and bisexuality would be like suggesting 101 Dalmations isn't about puppies. In fact, when I think of Whitman, the word "too" is the most common word that comes to mind. He is too ____ (fill in the blank).

What inspired this man to create this landmark American sexual and emotional statement? Many things. Paramount among those things was Loss. Loss of old loves: "Doubtless I could not have perceived the universe, or written one of my poems, if I had not freely given myself to comrades, to love." and "(I loved a certain person ardently, and my love was not return'd; Yet out of that, I have written these songs.)" Loss of Lincoln inspired "Drum-Taps" and "Sequel to Drum-Taps". Loss of youth, health, & pleasures inspired him to write. And I think he wrote for the 4 purposes George Orwell suggested writers write: Sheer egoism, aesthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse ("to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity"), and political purpose.

Whether or not Whitman's perspectives are correct or good, he said things that most people have feared to say so strongly. His words have been criticized as base, vile, and shameful, but they are also free speech expression. I don't know if I can say I'm a big fan of Whitman, but I can say that I'm glad to live under laws that have allowed him to speak his inner mind. And I promote environments & protections that safeguard such expressions.

Following his beloved Abraham Lincoln's assassination, he mourned without reservation, "O Captain! my captain! rise up and hear the bells . . . For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning . . . My captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will." As "Dead Poets Society" so capably conveyed, "Leaves of Grass" is about passion - unabashed American passions.