first edition
1874 · New York
by [WHITMAN, WALT]
New York: Harper and Brothers, 1874. First Edition. First printing. Octavo (24.5cm). Cream printed wrappers;[465]-616,8pp; ads to wrappers and to final 8pp; wood-engraved illustrations throughout. Previous owner's name pencilled to front cover. Tanned, with soil to covers and interior, crease to upper front wrapper, 2.5" tear to upper front hinge, and tiny tears to wrapper extremities; Good.
Contains the first appearance of "Prayer of Columbus" (pp. 524-5), a poem Whitman would later include in Two Rivulets and in the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass. "Whitman wrote "Prayer" during one of the darkest periods of his life," after experiencing a paralytic stroke and the deaths of several friends and family members. He "turned to the figure of Columbus for inspiration" (Ned C. Stuckey-French, The Walt Whitman Archive). MYERSON E2538. [84875]. (Inventory #: 84875)
Contains the first appearance of "Prayer of Columbus" (pp. 524-5), a poem Whitman would later include in Two Rivulets and in the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass. "Whitman wrote "Prayer" during one of the darkest periods of his life," after experiencing a paralytic stroke and the deaths of several friends and family members. He "turned to the figure of Columbus for inspiration" (Ned C. Stuckey-French, The Walt Whitman Archive). MYERSON E2538. [84875]. (Inventory #: 84875)
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