Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/05/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]or do you have the horse in back of the cart? "these people new who they were; published themselves before others could see, read, listen to and appreciate their work." On May 15, 1855, Whitman registered the title Leaves of Grass with the clerk of the United States District Court, Southern District of New Jersey, and received its copyright.[3] The first edition was published in Brooklyn at the Fulton Street printing shop of two Scottish immigrants, James and Andrew Rome, whom Whitman had known since the 1840s,[4] on July 4, 1855. Whitman paid for and did much of the typesetting for the first edition himself. The book did not include the author's name, instead offering an engraving by Samuel Hollyer depicting the poet in work clothes and a jaunty hat, arms at his side.[5] Early advertisements for the first edition appealed to "lovers of literary curiosities" as an oddity.[6] Sales on the book were few but Whitman was not discouraged. The first edition was very small, collecting only twelve unnamed poems in 95 pages.[7] Whitman once said he intended the book to be small enough to be carried in a pocket. "That would tend to induce people to take me along with them and read me in the open air: I am nearly always successful with the reader in the open air."[8] About 800 were printed,[9] though only 200 were bound in its trademark green cloth cover.[3] The only American library known to have purchased a copy of the first edition was in Philadelphia.[10] The title Leaves of Grass was a pun. "Grass" was a term given by publishers to works of minor value and "leaves" is another name for the pages on which they were printed.[7] Whitman sent a copy of the first edition of Leaves of Grass to Emerson, the man who had inspired its creation. In a letter, Emerson called the book "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed."[11] Regards, George Lottermoser george at imagist.com http://www.imagist.com http://www.imagist.com/blog http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist On May 10, 2009, at 8:07 PM, Mark Rabiner wrote: > But these people had to be published or recorded by others before > the became > who they were. Said "artist" on their drivers license I think. > Real small. In the bottom right corner.