[Whitman, Walt- Very Fine Copy of the Exceedingly Scarce First Issue Drum-Taps, Presented by Whitman to a Boy Nextdoor, As Recorded by the Boy's Subsequent Presentation Inscription Years Later] Drum-Taps. First edition

Whitman, Walt

Published by New York, 1865

7 1 4 x 4 1 2 inches. 72pp. Original publisher's brown sand-grain cloth with blind-stamped triple-rule frame, front cover with bold gilt-blocked circular background in horizontal weave, surrounded by single circular gilt frame; the back cover with exact same motif, but in blind. A FINE COPY, with virtually no signs of wear. PRESENTATION COPY FROM WALT WHITMAN TO A NEIGHBOR BOY, LEONARD HORNER, in the hand of the recipient (though as an older man), as follows: "Presented to Leonard Horner by Walt Whitman- (in Person) Jan - 1885-- (to be given to his Mother)," written in wavering hand on the front free fly. As well, there is are signature initials on the upper right of the same page, "PEH", more than likely the individual to which Horner later presented the book. Regarding this superb Presentation, Ted Genoways, Whitman scholar, makes these following fascinating observations: "The name Wm. Leonard Horner, (in Horner's own hand), appears in one of Whitman's notebooks for early 1885, at which time he was only 9 or 10 years old and lived near Whitman in Camden. (Whitman's house was just off South Fourth Street; Horner's family lived on South Fifth Street.) Based on his young age at the time of Presentation, it is likely that this inscription was made late in life as a memento for whomever Horner was giving it to (perhaps 'PEH') All of this would go a long way toward explaining the rare first binding version of the book. Whitman bound some copies, but seems to have largely withheld them, probably because of the evolving events around Lincoln's death and burial." Interestingly, Horner's father, George, sold retail groceries in Camden, and specialized in butter. Young Leonard may have been a delivery boy for his father, and came to meet Whitman on his deliveries. Drum-Taps was first published (privately) as a separate book of 53 poems (72pp.) in 1865, first by Peter Eckler. However, Eckler actually subcontracted with another printer named Alvord, who did the actual printing. The second edition of Drum-Taps, which is more commonly available than the first, included eighteen more poems (often termed the "Sequel" to Drum-Taps). The first printing (as per our copy) was contracted to print on April 1, 1865, and Whitman reported it was "now to press" on April 26, and would be ready for delivery to the binder by the beginning of May. Whitman then wrote to Eckler on May 3, 1865, to deliver the sheets to the binder. As for the Second Edition ("The Sequel"), Whitman famously halted the original dispersal of his newly printed book in order to add, especially, one poem, and then finally a 24-page sequel of poetry, the second edition, which became widely referred to as "The Sequel to Drum-Taps." The background and history of the events is palpably heartbreaking. In the morning of April 15, 1865, newspapers began to unfold the terrible news of the assassination of President Lincoln, and Whitman, deeply saddened by his passing, felt a responsibility to use his book as a vehicle for grieving. Over the following months Whitman split time between Brooklyn and the Capitol while also adding several additions to his compilation of poems. His poem "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," added to the sequel, became extremely popular, and arguably his final and perhaps greatest single success of his career. Not to be lost in all of this, and especially for the historian and bibliographer, the second printing far outsold and remained in circulation to a far greater degree than the true first edition. To be sure, the first edition, without the Sequel, is one of the great "holy grail" unobtainable Whitman objects of importance in the bibliographic world. How rare is the first issue? Very few copies of the first issue have found their way to the marketplace (we have not been able to locate one in the past 30 years). Ed Folsom, Whitman scholar, declares (private communication) "The big question is how many of those original 500 printed sets of pages got bound. Seller Inventory # 5030

Bibliographic Details

Title: [Whitman, Walt- Very Fine Copy of the ...
Publisher: New York
Publication Date: 1865