... a new kind of poetry and thereafter neglected business. No publisher or author's name was on the first edition of Leaves of Grass' in 1855. Whitman printed it himself, and throughout his life he continued to publish expansions of revisions of the work. He sent copies of the first edition to well- ... known literary men. Some condemned the book, but Ralph Waldo Emerson saw its merit. In the 1856 edition, Whitman printed Emerson's letter of praise, which called the book "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom yet contributed to American literature.""{Doren, 58} ... hospital volunte...

• Word Count: 3004
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School