Walt Whitman

<p> Walt Whitman created in various editions of <I>Leaves of Grass</I> what is arguably the most influential book of poems anywhere in the past 200 years. Whitman absorbed the world transmuting it into poems that address a spectrum of topics--from democracy and religion to sexuality gender class and identity. He exuberantly incarnated his epoch at the same time as he invoked you-- readers and poets to come--to join in a poetry of the future. </p><p> The first A to Z Whitman reference to incorporate 21st century scholarship this work is ideal for readers who want a concise introduction to the major poems and prose and to the people places and topics central to his life. Each of the book's 142 entries is followed by cross-references to related entries and suggestions for further reading. Also included are a brief biography a chronology of Whitman's life and major works and a bibliography of some 300 primary and secondary sources on this most timeless and contemporary of poets.</p>