Walt Whitman self-published the first edition of Leaves of Grass, and then put it on sale in two New York stores on July 6, 1855. One reviewer, shocked by its sensual images, called it ''a mass of stupid filth." Another, puzzled by its emotional intensity, said its author ''must be some escaped lunatic, raving in pitiable delirium." In response, Whitman anonymously published three reviews of his own, praising the book and himself.
The original edition of Leaves of Grass had only twelve poems, including Song of Myself and I Sing the Body Electric. (It eventually grew, through five versions and eight editions, into a book of 389 poems.) Very few of the book's original 795 copies have survived, and on the rare occasion that one comes up for auction, it can sell for anywhere from $60,000 to $600,000.
Song of Myself is one of my favorite poems and I was surprised to learn, recently, that inside the four editions of Leaves of Grass that were published between 1860 and 1876, the poem was retitled, Walt Whitman.
With Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman forever changed the face of poetry by forgoing rhyme schemes in favor of free verse.
A bit of Whitman trivia: Leaves of Grass was one of gifts that President Clinton gave to Monica Lewinsky.
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