Leaves of Grass: 1855 Edition

Written by Walt Whitman

Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini

Alive with the mythical strength and vitality of the American experience, this first edition of Walt Whitman’s magnum opus celebrates nature and the human body.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamscape Media
• Release date: Jun 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781666554120

Walt Whitman

WALT WHITMAN (1819-1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. Born on May 31, 1819 in Huntington on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, and a government clerk. At age 11, he left formal schooling to go to work. As a child and through much of his career he resided in Brooklyn, New York. Whitman’s major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. During the American Civil War, he went to Washington, D.C. and worked in hospitals caring for the wounded. His poetry often focused on both loss and healing. Two of his well-known poems, O Captain! My Captain! and When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d, were written on the death of Abraham Lincoln. After a stroke towards the end of his life, Whitman moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declined. When he died on March 26, 1892 at age 72, his funeral was a public event. ROLLO G. SILVER (1909-1989) was an American book collector and historian of American printing, typography, and publishing. He was the author of Typefounding in America, 1787-1825 (1965), The American Printer, 1787-1825 (1967), and The Book in America (with Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt and Lawrence C. Wroth, 1951), as well as numerous articles published in Studies in Bibliography, Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, and elsewhere. Silver graduated from Brown University in 1931 and was a Professor of Library Science at Simmons College from 1950-1965.

Reviews for Leaves of Grass

[matt long · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Incredible understanding and perspective. Enjoyment for either reading or listening.

[George Szmaj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is great insight of the world I enjoyed it

[ivanmarquina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I approach Walt Whitman through a Book Club; I am not a poetry reader, and I must admit that there are moments when the reading is not easy for me. The messianic tone of "Song of Myself" makes me both hate and love the author equally. It is true that when you connect with his love for nature and life in general, with his confidence and exacerbated optimism, you feel something mystical that makes you want to know more about the author, an American reincarnation of a God... The rest of the poems that accompany the book give me a more complete idea of why he is considered a classic of literature that should be approached at some point.... Indispensable yet dispensable. (Translated from Spanish)

[Lulilee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Since I saw Breaking Bad, I've wanted to read this book. I saw it many times in bookstores but I couldn't decide to buy it until I found the Alma Clásicos Ilustrados edition, and I had to have it. The book is beautiful. I found in Whitman's poetry a form of sincere, highly emotional, and direct expression. My favorite was his longest poem, "Song of Myself". There were moments when my brain was exploding with the images and sensations I was experiencing, and I had to put the book down and stare at the ceiling for a few seconds, trying to come back to reality. I loved it.

My relationship with poetry is very strange. I generally love it, but other times I don't understand or feel anything at all. Still, I will always seek it out. I believe there is a poet in all of us, but not everyone releases their poetry in words. Poetry is art, it is expression, and even though we understand it and experience it in different ways, we can always find others in it who speak our language. Whitman certainly speaks mine. I'm so glad I discovered him. (Translated from Spanish)

[MauroLaureanoOsorio · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

These poems are like a breath of life. Verse by verse, they may not be superior to those of other poets; but they all exude vitality, fullness, momentum. Despite wanting to celebrate everything with his poetry, Whitman shows no pretension. I have found that many dedicate poems to his figure. (Translated from Spanish)

[Elingelector · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"In all people I see myself, no one is a bit more or less than I am, and the good and the bad that I say of myself, I say of the rest," Walt Whitman.

It has been quite an experience to read Whitman; I confess it took me a couple of pages to place myself in the context in which it was written, and based on that, to understand it better.

Equality, sensuality, the material world, freedom, nature are protagonists throughout the development of this free verse poetry collection. And free are the ideas that Whitman proclaims openly without limits or constraints, exalting love and life at every moment.

Perhaps at this moment what is captured in this work does not seem so revolutionary, but indeed, in 1855 it was, which earned Whitman very strong criticism; however, he continued adding poems to the collection, resulting in several editions, some with more poems than others.

It is almost impossible not to remember the movie "Dead Poets Society," in which Whitman's influence is evident, a film I watched several years ago.

"Don't forget that no matter what they tell you, words and ideas can change the world (...). I'll tell you a secret: we read and write poetry because it’s beautiful. We read and write poetry because we belong to the human race; and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering are noble and necessary careers to dignify human life. But poetry, beauty, romanticism, love are what keep us alive." - John Keating (Robin Williams) (Translated from Spanish)

[RorroCordero · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whoever touches this book touches a man. (Translated from Spanish)

[IvnGietz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This man was a turning point in the history of poetry. With simple language and free verses, he makes his reading extremely enjoyable. Whitman opened a door, lit a candelabrum, and said, "Follow me, it's this way." (Translated from Spanish)

[Twy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

We are faced with a very special collection of poems, written by Whitman over forty years. It portrays man as he is, love for others, and for all of life: nature, love, sorrow, death... It has a way of capturing reality that has left me speechless; I must admit that I have never read anything like it.

At first, I found it difficult to understand and appreciate the concept of this poetry collection, but as I turned the pages and verses, a path was unfolding before me where I not only understood each of his words, but I became a part of them.

Upon finishing this book, I realize that it has taught me to appreciate everything around me on a much higher spiritual level than the ordinary. I see how the forests come to life, how love reaches heights, how death breaks hearts, and how our souls flow just like the water of a river, if we so wish.

Reading this book is to feel the fullness of life, all the little things that bring beauty, and the progress of a soul that had to fill itself with light.

If we all loved like Walt Whitman, the world would be something very different. (Translated from Spanish)

[Peluti80 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have read the beautiful illustrated edition of "Leaves of Grass," faithful to the 1855 edition, not as extensive as the later ones.

It begins with the poem "Once there was a child who set out on an adventure," which could be the sentence I wake up to every morning, because Whitman is a new religion. This is corroborated by the fifty-two poems of "Song of Myself," where the poet embodies himself on every page, unifying body and soul, the here and the beyond. It is a song to the we and the entire unfathomable, deliberately ending without a final period. Another brilliant poem is "From the cradle that rocks eternally," because of which the whisper of the sea waves utters a word that I invite you to discover. The fifteen beautiful poems that remember Abraham Lincoln and his tribute in "O Captain! My Captain!" (the essence of "Dead Poets Society") close this edition.

In love, I join the words of Lorca and invoke you, "beautiful old Walt Whitman." (Translated from Spanish)

[Un gaucho entre libros · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Neither I nor anyone else can walk this path in your place; You, only you, must walk it, it is not long, it is within your reach; Perhaps, without realizing it, you have been on it since you were born; perhaps it is everywhere, in the sea and on the land." An impressive poetry collection by Walt Whitman, written during the second half of the 19th century, encapsulates the entire universe of a unique and unrepeatable poet. It is a long hymn to the nature he admires so much, to the human being, to the love between men, to the search for happiness, to the constant present, to the value of life. In an era when the industrial revolution wreaked havoc on nature, this poet took refuge in his pleasures, distancing himself from the great cities, enjoying the simplest things life could offer. The United States had been devastated by the Civil War, was beginning to industrialize, the South completely destroyed, and amidst so much warlike atmosphere, this man appeared to teach that perhaps the most important things are found somewhere else, so close and distant at the same time, one just needs to know how to appreciate them. From the first poem: Song of Myself, he exudes happiness, the happiness of being alive, celebrating brotherhood: "I celebrate myself and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you." And he closes with one of his last written poems: "Farewell, my Fantasy! Farewell, dear companion, my beloved! I go, I do not know where, Or to what fortune, nor if I will see you again, So, farewell, my Fantasy." In short, the diary of a man who knew how to be happy, and to convey it like few others. (Translated from Spanish)

[Lumus EI · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is one of the most beautiful collections of poems you can read. Whitman is a deeply sensitive author. (Translated from Spanish)

[AgustnSandez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A liberated song towards the relationship between man and nature and the longed-for divine and imperishable union of humanity as a whole. In an unrelenting free verse, it dismantles all the mechanisms that shape the human being and builds upon it, in pursuit of a definitive purification.

That divine light, striking in the serenity of its unconsciousness, unveils the deepest secrets of our latent collective existence. That touch is the end of all known or to-be-known worlds; a vestige of silence, a growing plant, a wave sweating with impatience. Everything that passes through our perspective can make us free. Thank you, Walt. (Translated from Spanish)

[Ginevra · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Comrade, this is not a book; whoever touches this touches a man." This is how Walt Whitman defines this work that he re-edited over nearly forty years. A product of 19th century United States, this great epic poem is born and grows with the intention of defining man as part of the nation. I find it necessary to say that this book is known as the Bible of poets. (Translated from Spanish)

[Cronicadelibros · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A book full of strength, vitality, that ranges from the greatness of the universal to the smallest of the everyday. However, it is very difficult to write a review, because as Walt Whitman himself would say, he already wrote the review in his time, both for the people of his time and for those who had come before and for those who were yet to come. A superlative book that requires all five senses to be read, with pause, calm, and as much attention as possible. (Translated from Spanish)

[Guillermo VII · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent!!! The poems express feelings: love, sorrow, joy, admiration, spirituality, but they also express the context, in this case, the political context of democracy and peace or of cruel war. All this is enclosed in Whitman's poems while releasing a deep attachment to nature and spiritual elevation. In his verses are "the stars, the rain, the snow, my wonder..." the birds, the trees, the flowing water, the sighing wind. The stanzas dedicated to the mystical-religious exude the sacredness of a higher order, the life created, organized, and guarded by that Someone who should not be sought in death as salvation, but in that life that has been generously given. Poetry to learn, to think, and to...feel. (Translated from Spanish)

[Dr. Fernando Marzuka · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A poet who is a mandatory universal reference. His poems speak of life, of the body, of the soul, and of people; a poet who continually circulates in the humanity of being and the indecipherable mysteries of the everyday. (Translated from Spanish)

[watanabe21 ? · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An early flavor for its time. Today it spreads through its expression of its peculiar blend, of fully integrating the human being into nature, making it uniform and filling it with life in each of its poems. "Sex contains everything: bodies, souls, meanings, tests, delicacies, results, promulgations, chants, orders, health, pride, the maternal mystery, seminal milk, all hopes, benefits, and gifts, all passions, loves, beauties, delights of the earth." I felt so comfortable reading it that after a month, I continued speaking with broad descriptions, gathering every detail that allowed me to nourish the word. A highly recommended philosophical poetry collection. (Translated from Spanish)

[Trafalgar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is impossible to review Whitman; one must always have him on hand like a first aid kit because in this book is life itself. (Translated from Spanish)

[JUAN PEDRO PABLO · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Walt Whitman, a poet, in the present moment, at the very moment I write these lines, from two centuries ago. It is often said that poetry is timeless or that it is valid for all eras. When reading Walt Whitman, one is transported to the time in which he lived, as he describes how he saw his world, his surroundings, and how this environment influenced him. The nature and fields through which he delighted in walking, the aroma of the grass, or the grass breaking apart, the sunsets and sunrises he saw and lived... that have not been repeated. I enjoy every moment and he wanted to convey that feeling... The feeling of freedom that engulfed him and he wanted everyone to realize it and open their eyes, to shake off the drowsiness, and live intensely that life that each one possesses until it ends in many ways... perhaps so suddenly it stops and you collapse without turning back onto...

Leaves of Grass... (Translated from Spanish)

[Gonza83 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am not an expert in reading poetry; in fact, I abandoned this book the first time I tried to read it. It seems that, in this case, the second time is the charm. Yes, I have to admit something: Walt Whitman infuses all his passion when he writes about his cause. I took the time to read the entire preface, which was almost longer than the book itself, to immerse myself in the context of his writing, and it was the best thing I could do. If one does not imagine Whitman's poetic drive with his quest for a Yankee identity to transcend his poetry beyond the old world and with the reminiscences of a civil war, one risks missing truly beautiful verses. He achieved his objective, and time proved him right. He took almost thirty years to accept that his work was complete, and I highly recommend reading his "retrospective look at the paths traveled," written on his deathbed. Being an observer of the present to the fullest gave me moments of reflection and enjoyable reading. (Translated from Spanish)

[Arielg88 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you like poetry, you definitely have to read a work at least once in your life. Even if it's a small part (since I understand there are many). (Translated from Spanish)

[Maave · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"I am the poet of the body,
And I am the poet of the soul"

It is the reflection of the essence of democratic values, of love, of equality between men and women. Whitman believed in inner light, in a step beyond the transcendentalists, influenced by Eastern writings and German idealists. Thus, in this exaltation of those values, he celebrates the body, nature, the sexual energy that fertilizes every woman; he celebrates masturbation, female eroticism, homosexual love, and therefore sexual liberation. All this is conveyed through a new epic in which he becomes the hero. The book is a heart-wrenching symphony that progresses and regresses in its themes in a pluperfect loop that, in its crescendo, unveils the great themes of this work. He rejects pessimism by affirming the eternal sexual cycle that is life, and with all this, Whitman moves from the "I" to the "you," addressing the reader, caressing us with his words, imploring and challenging us. The "you" thus transforms into the plural, into man and woman indistinctly, trapping us within his poem.
Then, laden with symbolism, he takes the lilacs and the stars and rocks them in a song to democracy dedicated to Lincoln and to death.
Whitman has provided me with new concepts in every reading of this poetic experiment full of philosophy by this mystic who measures language, carefully crafting it, making the reader an accomplice of his work, and only when you breathe at the author's rhythm does the poem explode and reach its fullness for those who have been able to reach his level, for those who have sought his goal. For the rest of the readers, the mediocre, the shipwreck is certain, and their greatness will be hidden from them until the effort deserves the reward.
"To me, the converging objects of the universe flow perpetually.
All have been written for me, and I must decipher what their writing means." (Translated from Spanish)

[Patrick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Vibrant, multifaceted, and unique book. Unforgettable and always at hand. (Translated from Spanish)

[Maric3l · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book of poems that expresses the essence of the author. Seduced by life and death, the good and the bad, one thing/feeling and its opposite, revealing himself in his writing as he is, or what he felt he was, without the need to hide flaws or contradictions. Whitman was a visionary in the times he lived, his poetry showed and sounded of equality, not one hundred percent, but it was something that in the time he lived was not common, nor was it seen that way. (Translated from Spanish)

[Calusienta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful beautiful beautiful (Translated from Spanish)