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LEAVES OF GRASS by Whitman Walt - 1855

by Whitman Walt

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LEAVES OF GRASS by Whitman Walt - 1855

LEAVES OF GRASS

by Whitman Walt

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • Signed
  • first
Brooklyn: [for the author], 1855. A COPY AUTOGRAPHED BY WALT WHITMAN, of the First Edition, First Issue in State “A” of the binding. SIGNED ON THE TITLE-PAGE IN UNUSUAL BLOCK LETTERS, we presume Whitman was musing on how the page would look with his name added to it, a change which would not be made in print for years. This is a copy with excellent provenance being the Linton-Skiff-Doheny copy and a copy which Skiff, providing written testament, maintains came from Whitman's own hand and workbench. With a portrait frontispiece on the heaviest of the papers used for the portrait page. 4to, original green cloth gilt, a.e.g. xii, 95. A unique autographed copy with a bit of wear to the binding, now refurbished, some old stains, possibly from Whitman’s own use at his workbench, a title-page corner is torn away. AN EXTRAORDINARY COPY, AN EXTREMELY RARE AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE of what is arguably the greatest work in all of American literature. Signed copies of the 1855 Leaves are a VERY GREAT RARITY. The present copy is unique among known signed copies - of which there are perhaps only some 5 or 6 extant - both for its method of signature and for being in the first state (“A”) of the binding. All the other known signed copies appear to belong to the second issue of the work. And in this context it is further significant to note that the NY Public “desk copy” is in fact a trimmed “remainder copy” in plain unprinted wrappers.
Whitman’s LEAVES OF GRASS portrayed America at the crossroads between an old world, soon to be cast off, and the new world of our future present. With the publication of LEAVES OF GRASS in 1855, Whitman, the poet of democracy, ushered in a new era in American letters, describing specifically American experiences in a distinctly American idiom. From its first publication in 1855, he had complete confidence in the greatness of both the book and its author.
“Always the champion of the common man, Whitman is both the poet and the prophet of democracy. The whole of LEAVES OF GRASS is imbued with the spirit of brotherhood and a pride in the democracy of the young American nation. In a sense, it is America’s second Declaration of Independence: that of 1776 was political, this of 1855 intellectual. ...The poems are saturated ‘with a vehemence of pride and audacity of freedom necessary to loosen the mind of still-to-be-formed America from the folds, the superstitions, and all the long, tenacious, and stifling anti-democratic authorities of Asiatic and European past’. To the young nation, only just becoming aware of an individual literary identity distinct from its European origins, Whitman’s message and his outspoken confidence came at a decisive moment.
LEAVES OF GRASS was Whitman’s favorite child. From the time of its original publication,...until the year of his death, he continued revising and enlarging it. If (his) reputation has fluctuated over the years and his position among, if indeed not at the head of, the list of great American poets was not assured until some time after his death, there was never any doubt of the matter in his own mind. ‘I know I am deathless’, he wrote. ‘Whether I come to my own today or in ten thousand or ten million years, I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness I can wait.’ Time has vindicated his conviction.” PMM
One of the rare opportunities to acquire one of the greatest books in all of world literature.
Spun out of the purest “stuff” of the American selfhood, the 1855 Leaves of Grass is the acknowledged center of the American literary canon. Emerson recognized its importance immediately upon publication--declaring the book to be “the most extraordinary piece of wit & wisdom that America has yet contributed”--and 150 years later critic Harold Bloom only reaffirms Emerson, concluding that in American letters “the book that matters most is the 1855 original “Leaves of Grass.”
But the book’s importance far transcends any nationality. The First Truly Modern Work of Literature - the opening shot of a revolution still resounding today - its impact is immense. It alone - among all modern works of poetry - rates inclusion in Printing and the Mind of Man (where it is accurately labeled “America’s Second Declaration of Independence”). Far more than just an American work of letters, Leaves of Grass is a Masterwork of Modern World Literature -- and arguably the greatest such!
For Leaves of Grass is the first work of literature to explicitly explore the modern stream of consciousness. Launching forth from the individual - “I celebrate myself,” Whitman declares point blank - the work is yet universal in its intent. Though at times egotistical and even overtly auto-erotic, Whitman nonetheless shoots for the highest - the undiluted testimony of the liberated Self. And through creedless mergence in Nature and the greater flow of humanity, Whitman achieves a genuine literary satori! Many have since tried to follow in Whitman’s breakthrough path, but none have surpassed him in originality and brilliance - thus confirming Whitman’s stature as “the greatest of modern poets.”
Written “without check” and with “original energy” in convention-shattering lines of jagging free verse, Leaves of Grass is a kaleidoscopic fusion of rapidly changing innovative swells of imagery and metaphor -- its reference frame ever shifting as Whitman alternates in and out of his embodied self. At once sensual and cosmic, personal and trans-personal - as mysterious as the grass -- the poetry sweeps all and everyone into its living, breathing, and ultimately fathomless pulse. Self-exploring Poetry of the highest liberality - penned by “the greatest democrat the world has seen” - Leaves of Grass is “a democracy of consciousness” celebrating all humanity.
  • Bookseller Buddenbrooks, Inc. US (US)
  • Book Condition Used
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Publisher [for the author]
  • Place of Publication Brooklyn
  • Date Published 1855

We have 1157 copies available starting at NZ$7.06.

Leaves of Grass : The Original 1855 Edition

Leaves of Grass : The Original 1855 Edition

by Walt Whitman

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780486456768
ISBN 10
0486456765
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4
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Seattle, Washington, United States
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Dover Publications, Incorporated, 2007. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Leaves of Grass
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Leaves of Grass

by Walt Whitman

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - GOOD
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9781604240610
ISBN 10
160424061X
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1
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Toledo, Ohio, United States
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Standard Pubns Inc. Paperback. GOOD. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included.
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Leaves of Grass
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Leaves of Grass

by Whitman, Walt

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9781949982275
ISBN 10
1949982270
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1
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HILLSIDE, New Jersey, United States
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SDE Classics, 9/11/2019 12:00:01 A. paperback. Very Good. 1.2600 in x 8.9800 in x 6.0200 in. Crease on cover and a few pages*
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NZ$2.53
Leaves of Grass : [Exact Facsimile of the 1855 First Edition]
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Leaves of Grass : [Exact Facsimile of the 1855 First Edition]

by Whitman, Walt

  • Used
  • Acceptable
Condition
Used - Acceptable
ISBN 13
9781684220588
ISBN 10
1684220580
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
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NZ$7.82

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Martino Fine Books. Acceptable. Acceptable. Heavy wear. Ship within 24hrs. Satisfaction 100% guaranteed. APO/FPO addresses supported
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NZ$7.82
Leaves of Grass
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Leaves of Grass

by Walt Whitman

  • Used
  • poor
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - POOR
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9781495249716
ISBN 10
1495249719
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Toledo, Ohio, United States
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This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Paperback. POOR. Noticeably used book. Heavy wear to cover. Pages contain marginal notes, underlining, and or highlighting. Possible ex library copy, with all the markings/stickers of that library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, and dust jackets may not be included.
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NZ$2.75
Leaves of Grass: The Original 1855 Edition (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry)
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Leaves of Grass: The Original 1855 Edition (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry)

by Walt Whitman

  • Used
  • good
Condition
Used - Good
Edition
Original 1855
ISBN 13
9780486456768
ISBN 10
0486456765
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$7.96

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Dover Publications. Original 1855. Good. Good. Ship within 24hrs. Satisfaction 100% guaranteed. APO/FPO addresses supported
Item Price
NZ$7.96
Leaves of Grass: The Original 1855 Edition (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Leaves of Grass: The Original 1855 Edition (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry)

by Walt Whitman

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 13
9780486456768
ISBN 10
0486456765
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Imperial, Missouri, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$8.01

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UsedGood.
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NZ$8.01
Leaves of Grass: The Original 1855 Edition
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Leaves of Grass: The Original 1855 Edition

by Whitman, Walt

  • Used
Condition
UsedAcceptable
ISBN 13
9781449505714
ISBN 10
1449505716
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$3.14

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UsedAcceptable. Cover has some rubbing and edgewear. Access codes, CD's, slipcovers and other accessories may not be included.
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NZ$3.14
Leaves of Grass (Enriched Classics)
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Leaves of Grass (Enriched Classics)

by Whitman, Walt

  • Used
Condition
UsedVeryGood
ISBN 13
9781416523710
ISBN 10
1416523715
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States
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This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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NZ$3.14

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UsedVeryGood. Item has stickers or notes attached to cover and/or pages that have not been removed to prevent further damage
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Leaves of Grass
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Leaves of Grass

by Whitman, Walt

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Like New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781566190268
ISBN 10
1566190266
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HILLSIDE, New Jersey, United States
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This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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NZ$3.33

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Description:
Barnes And Noble, 1993T. hardcover. Like New. 1.5000 in x 8.4016 in x 6.0984 in.
Item Price
NZ$3.33