Leaves of Grass: The Original 1855 Edition

If you have the chance to read Whitman do it. He was a man well before his time. He was always true to himself. His words painted a beautiful picture of how he saw the world. From love to nature to majesty he wrote about the world. He wasn't afraid to write and write about feelings. Worth the second and third read. Keep this on your reading list indefinitely. Whitman is definitely my favorite, and I love his poetry, and the fact that he wasn't afraid to be himself. His work always inspires me, so if you love reading the classics, this is a great book to start with. Introduce yourself to Walt Whitman, and yes, this book has been on many of the banned, and burned books list. His books have been burned since he first published his works, and just because they were about his feelings, and lovers.

Wonderful book which changed the poetry of the world. Whitman, an original genius. Highly recommened. Great illustrations too

Life changing masterpiece work of art for all souls dead or alive. I am about to start reading it "again" from page one as if it were the first time again! It changed my perspective on the way I see life forever.

I may have read a few of Whitman's poems in my junior year of high school, but I had no idea that this collection was so extensive. I enjoyed it and didn't want to read it too fast like I usually do, but it's just plain LONG. I was also somehow unaware that this is rated R even by today's standards, but the sections in question are rather brief. So love, romantic love, is a topic of these reflections. But it's just one. He looks at all the important things. Philosophy. Religion. All of them. He writes to Jesus and understands him in his humanity, even if he has a hard time with his followers. Death. Nature. War, specifically the Civil War. For Whitman, God is everywhere, and perhaps there is a pantheist view that God is everything. The beauty of everything in our world is shown in an amazing way. Although Whitman is familiar with cultures all around the world, he keeps coming back to America and shows our greatness. There's a patriotism and a pride in both the people and the land. The newness of America shows the strengths of both the Old and the New world. A lot of the issues that we face today were also the questions of America in the 19th century. Immigration. Different cultures, black, Indian. Whitman loves and seems to know all the states, all the regions, but keeps coming to Manhattan and Long Island. Since 2001 we've really reflected on the symbolism of Manhattan, but it goes way back to the 1800s when Whitman was writing. One state cannot dominate another because each state has its importance. This sense seems to be lost with the attacks today on the electoral college and the Senate, for instance by Ezra Klein of Vox. My state of New York and that of California could overwhelm smaller states like Vermont or, in population, Wyoming. We are a union not just of individuals but of the states. Manhattan is great, but the relationship between the city and the upstate wilderness of the Adirondacks is difficult, because people here have to live their lives too and do something for a living, even if environmentalists from the city don't like it. Just ask Shania Twain, who had to move. Poets since then don't seem to do much rhyming, and Whitman apparently is responsible for that. But he did what he did well, he knew he was good, and I found it pleasant to the ear. His famous line "I contain multitudes" was used by Peggy Noonan about Newt Gingrich in 2011. He was the first presidential candidate "about whom there is too much information", but certainly not the last!

Good book/poems by Walt Whitman. Got it quickly in mail after it was ordered.

Whitman captures a snapshot of the humanity surrounding him. The good and the bad. His poetic essay of the variety of society is so vivid that you are there with him. I thoroughly enjoyed the painting. As he wrote "great is the English language."

Classic. Got all sorts of into NYC history and then Walt Whitman and then this book went into my eyes and felt like a blanket.

This is a poem book not at all like the movie if you have seen it.

Great book if you’re new to poetry or need a enjoyable read

Wer Poetry liebt kommt hier auf seine Kosten. Wobei ich schon die originale Version in Englisch bevorzuge. Im Übrigen war das die Inspiration für Nightwishes "Song of Myself" 😉

Bellísimo libro para introducirse a la poesía norteamericana. La visión optimista de Whitman llena de belleza cada cosa que menta. Una prosa verdaderamente maravillosa. Extremadamente romanticista.

Printed upside down?? Great book and funny anecdote

Fine