cover, Leaves of Grass, first (1855) edition; an exact copy republished by The Eakins Press, New York (1966)

Each precise object or condition or combination or process exhibits a beauty. . . . the multiplication table its—old age its—the carpenter’s trade its—the grand-opera its … the hugehulled cleanshaped New-York clipper at sea under steam or full sail gleams with unmatched beauty. . . .

— Walt Whitman, Preface to Leaves of Grass, first edition (1855)

— posted by Roger W. Smith

   June  2023