Leaves of Grass

Born on Long Island, New York, in 1819, Walt Whitman was one of eight children of a builder. His early life included stints as a printer, newspaper editor, and schoolteacher. Not until in his thirties did Whitman awaken to his true literary calling. This transformation led to Leaves of Grass, the first edition of which -- containing just twelve poems -- was published in 1855 at the author's expense. Over the years Whitman added hundreds of new poems to the original manuscript, reissuing the book in several subsequent versions. Whitman spent the Civil War visiting military hospitals and nursing the wounded and dying. His writings slowly received recognition among literary circles in both America and England, though during his lifetime they never achieved the broad, democratic popularity he hoped for. Suffering a stroke in 1873, Whitman was an invalid for the remaining two decades of his life. He died in Camden, New Jersey, in 1892.Whitman, Walt is the author of 'Leaves of Grass', published 1954 under ISBN 9780451524850 and ISBN 0451524853.