At once controversial, revolutionary and expertly written,Walt Whitman's poetry represents the perfect accompaniment to the young American nation. Featuring celebrations of love, nationalism and the American dream along with laments for war and lost opportunities, there is something unique about the visions Walt Whitman provides. The poems collected here span the range of Whitman's oeuvre, from his early attempts at verse found in the local newspapers in the 1840s and 1850s to the towering achievements that crowned the final edition of Leaves of Grass published in 1892.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was perhaps the most influential of all American poets. Both journalist and artist, his controversial collection Leaves of Grass unsettled contemporary critics and enthralled ordinary readers. His experience as a nurse in the American Civil War added new depths to his work and he continued to expand this collection until his death in 1892.