Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman hardback

Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. Though it was first published in 1855, Whitman spent most of his professional life writing and rewriting Leaves of Grass, revising it multiple times until his death. There were multiple versions of this work, each with different poems--the first edition being a small book of twelve poems, and the last, a compilation of over 400.

The collection represents the celebration of his philosophy of life and humanity and praises nature and the individual human's role in it. Rather than focusing on religious or spiritual matters, Leaves of Grass focuses primarily on the body and the material world. With few exceptions, its poems do not rhyme or follow standard rules for meter and line length.

Leaves of Grass is also notable for its discussion of delight in sensual pleasures during a time when such candid displays were considered immoral. The book was highly controversial during its time for its explicit sexual imagery, and Whitman was subject to derision by many contemporary critics. Over time, however, the collection has infiltrated popular culture and became recognized as one of the central works of American poetry.

This volume contains all 14 sections contained in the 1892 deathbed edition:

• Inscriptions
• Children of Adam
• Calamus
• Birds of Passage
• Sea-Drift
• By the Roadside
• Drum-Taps
• Memories of President Lincoln
• Autumn Rivulets
• Whispers of Heavenly Death
• From Noon to Starry Night
• Songs of Parting
• First Annex: Sands at Seventy
• Second Annex: Good-bye My Fancy

This volume includes such classics as:

• "Song of Myself"
• "I Sing the Body Electric"
• "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking"
• "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd"
• "O Captain! My Captain!"
• "I Hear America Singing"